


Happenstance Love

by Parzephyr



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2019-05-07 19:54:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 56,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14678316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Parzephyr/pseuds/Parzephyr
Summary: No one could prepare Mina for this nerve-wracking occasion. If someone had told her a month ago that she would be standing in a stuffy room with her group members waiting nervously for her We Got Married co-star to make their appearance, she would have laughed, but here she was now - tight lipped with no trace of laughter and her heart beating so loudly in her chest, she was certain everyone could hear it as well.





	1. Game On, Partner

**Author's Note:**

> I love stories that use the fake marriage, pretend couple, and other related tropes (I'm looking at you Choice and Timing), so I really wanted to write one where Mina and Momo joined We Got Married. This is my first time writing a story, I hope you enjoy it! :)

TWICE’s popularity had grown exponentially, and the world of Korean pop music and culture could not be any more excited to see them any chance they were able to; so when MBC announced that _We Got Married_ would be returning, its writers and producers could not pass up the chance to have one of the members of the “nation’s girl group” on the show.

JYP Entertainment was more than happy to comply; after all it _was_ good publicity, and TWICE needed more exposure outside of variety and music shows, and with the upcoming break following their latest album tour, the music label was adamant on keeping their hype alive.

The company had put a lot of work and effort to make TWICE thrive in the harsh music industry. The competition was fierce, but the girls had more than paid their dues since their debut, and it was evident in their accomplishments – they’ve broken records, sold out concert halls and stadiums, TV show appearances drew masses of viewers, and they had amassed a loyal following of fans. Their success was unrivaled, and the label took note to keep them from disappearing from the public’s eyes.

The problem with having a member of TWICE was exactly that, there was no way possible way to have them all actively be on the show, as much as they wanted to, they certainly couldn’t do it with the strict budget imposed on them. Picking one person out of nine equally talented girls was more difficult than they had imagined. Each one bared unique personalities that could easily garner views and captivate the audience; so when it came time for the WGM writers and JYPE show coordinators to decide who would appear on the show, they simply could not meet eye to eye.

And so it all began in one of the rooms of JYPE’s headquarters. Two parties sat around a large table dotted with papers and coffee. Their voices bounced from the walls, reverberating harshly with no time to fade, as another voice would fill its place. The tension was palpable, and the first round of coffee had long been consumed. Perhaps the energy boost from the drink added to the tenseness lingering in the air, but no one cared as they made haste to refill their mugs countless times.

“I think Tzuyu would be a good fit.” A JYPE coordinator exclaimed. 

“She’s too young! What would she _know_ about love?” a writer fired back, a disgruntled look washed over his face as he leaned forward in his seat.

“What about Dahyun?” another one had said.

“No, she’s more of a variety entertainer. I don’t think people would take her seriously if they saw her cozying up to someone.” A sigh escaped the mouth of one of the staffers in the conference room. He looked at the clock on the wall; it had been hours since this meeting had started yet they had made no progress whatsoever.

“Well then, what about Jihyo? She’s been known to be quite motherly towards the members, I’m sure her kindness would translate to her being a good wife. Many people would want to see that on the show.” A female writer offered, picking up Jihyo’s profile among the scattered papers on the table.

“That may be true, but she injured her leg a few days ago practicing so she needs to recover. We don’t want to push her if she’s not physically capable.” Said a coordinator, which earned him an exasperated sigh from the writer sitting across him.

It was a cycle of offers and rejections; arguments were made and quickly rebutted. Time continued to pass for the two groups while their imminent deadline swiftly crept closer. The arduous task drew fruitless results until it was finally decided after much thought – the idea stemming from a harebrained suggestion that was probably said in desperation, that if they could not make a decision then the group members should have a voice in the matter and be the one’s to choose.

__________ 

 

Back from an exhausting day of promotion and activities, the girls one by one quickly entered the privacy of their shared dorm. They hurriedly called out numbers indicating their order of preference for showering, _“I called that number first!”_ and _“I don’t want to be last!”_ filled the confines of the living room. Once an amicable decision was made, they each retreated to their rooms, catching up on what they had missed during the day as they waited for their turn to use the bathroom.

After changing into more comfortable attires, the girls gathered in their living room, waiting in anticipation for the news of who would be virtually married off.

When it was announced that _We Got Married_ would return on air, there were numerous rumors swirling around that a member of a female K-pop group would be taking part of it. There were many groups to choose from; after all, there was a great resurgence of interest aimed at them, perhaps it was due to their catchy songs, or maybe it was the allure that captured the attention of anyone who dared to look their way. Whatever reason one could muster up, there was no question that they were on everyone’s mind. None rivaled the speculations that it would be a TWICE member, the magnitude of their rumor mill was a testament of their popularity in the K-pop community; so when the rumors were confirmed, a sea of emotions came over them – joy, uneasiness, gratitude, anxiety. For the most part, they were happy, and so were their fans.

“Momo unnie what are you going to do if your husband doesn’t like jokbal?” Chaeyoung asked.

“She’ll probably divorce him after a few days.” Sana added, causing the girls to laugh loudly as Momo pouted. Mina, who sat next to her, chuckled lightly and patted her head earning a smile from the older Japanese member.

“I can’t imagine Nayeon unnie on the show.” Jeongyeon said from her seat on the couch, nudging the girl who sat in front of her.

“Why not? I think I’d make a good wife.” Nayeon shot back feigning offense, her body turned to face the blue haired girl.

“You’re too much to handle.” Jeongyeon teased, while the others jokingly agreed.

“YAH!” exclaimed Nayeon, reaching back to get a hold of the girl.

A woman not much older than the girls entered the dorm; it was Kim Nayeon, their manager, dressed casually with a black bag hanging off of her sweater-clad shoulders. She brushed strands of her hair covering her face; almost knocking off the round glasses that sat promptly on the bridge of her nose. She tossed the company car keys on the table next to the door and let out a huff as she proceeded to remove her shoes.

“So unnie, who’s going to be on the show?” Jihyo asks as she props her injured leg on a pillow, her face scrunching in discomfort from the pain. Her question causes everyone to direct their attention to their manager – a look of expectancy and interest on each of their faces.

Sadness Unnie, as she was affectionately named by the group and their fans, rifled through her bag and took out her phone – looking through her messages to find the one about the meeting. “Actually they came to the conclusion that you, as a group, should decide who’s going to appear on _We Got Married_.”

The announcement garnered looks of shock and disbelief among the girls.  A resounding “Eh?” escaped the mouths of the three Japanese members while the rest fell into a deep silence. Everyone expected that a decision had already been made for them, so it came as a surprise to learn of this new development. The once loud dorm was now quiet and eager to hear more from the woman. 

“They couldn’t come to an agreement so they decided that it would be best for you all to pick amongst yourselves. On one condition though, certain members are exempt from participating,” she glanced at her phone again to relay the message, “and those members are Tzuyu, Chaeyoung, Dahyun, and Jihyo.”

“Unnie why aren’t we allowed to participate?” Dahyun curiously asked.

“The writers and show coordinators believe you three,” she points at the maknaes, “are too young,” she turns her head to glance at Jihyo, “and Jihyo’s injured so she needs to recover before she partakes in any long term shows.”

“That leaves the rest of you as viable candidates for the show. The label is giving you guys until tomorrow to decide, so think carefully.”

The news elicited various responses; the maknaes were left talking amongst themselves – a hint of disappointment coated their conversation, while the older members fired numerous questions their manager was more than willing to answer. After patiently giving each girl her attention, the woman bids them a good night and retreats to her room, leaving the girls the chance to talk.

“I’m so accustomed to having the label make decisions for us that I can’t decide who should be on the show.” Momo sighs, resting her head on Mina’s shoulder.

“I know what you mean.” Mina adds, shifting slightly to adjust the girl’s head so it sat comfortably on her.

“This isn’t going to be easy, will it?” Sana asks solemnly, picking at her pajama pants. The girls nod in response.

“What are we even basing our decisions on?” Jeongyeon frowns, crossing her arms over her chest, “I’ve never even _been_ in a relationship so I wouldn’t know how to act.”

“Mina’s good at cooking, so that’s one thing she has over us.” Nayeon adds as she glances at the younger girl sitting across from her.

The compliment paints a tinge of red on Mina’s face. As grateful as she was for the recognition, she felt an obvious discomfort about the idea of acting like a couple with a stranger. It was a known fact that she was one of the quieter members of the group. Her reticence disavowed her from doing even the most mundane of activities. She was never one to act strongly on her emotions, choosing instead to hide behind a shy smile every chance she was given. When their music label notified them of the upcoming show, she was happy, but realization struck her sharply, and she was now suddenly aware of the likelihood of her appearing on _We Got Married_. As excited as she was that TWICE had been given an invitation to partake in its renewal, the thought of broadcasting her love life – whether it was real or virtual terrified her immensely.  How could someone as meek as her ever be forward with their feelings knowing so many people were watching? 

Mina snapped out of her worrisome thoughts when she felt a hand cover hers, “I think Mitang would make a great wife.” Momo beamed at the girl, her head now raised and staring at her. Mina returns the smile – her blush now a deeper red.

“Unnie maybe you don’t have to choose.” Tzuyu said timidly, the girls turned their heads to look at the youngest, bewildered by what she had just said. 

“What do you mean Tzuyu? If we don’t choose someone, we’ll get in trouble from the company.” Nayeon said.

“I know, but why not just have luck choose for you?” Tzuyu bluntly countered, getting up from the floor and making her way to the kitchen. Chaeyoung follows the girl, curious to see what she was up to. 

“She has a point. Instead of wracking our heads trying to decide who would be the best to join, why don’t you all just play a game or something?” said Jihyo, massaging her leg. 

“What do you have in mind?” Mina asked confusedly.

The two youngest members of the group return, with Tzuyu clutching something in her left hand. Chaeyoung followed closely from behind, a bag of ice dangling from one hand, and a juice box in the other. “Here unnie.” She hands the bag to Jihyo, “Ah, thanks Chaeng. I really needed this.” She smiles at the girl. 

They return to their previous seats, and Momo straightens herself and peers at Tzuyu who was now cutting what seemed to be straws into different lengths.

“Ahh! The one who draws the shortest straw loses!” Dahyun exclaims excitedly, bouncing on the couch. Sana giggled at the pale girl, her frenzied state now affecting her as she imitated Dahyun.

Tzuyu had now finished cutting the straws and was grasping them in her hand. She adjusted them thoroughly, making sure not to reveal their lengths. “We’ll each get one and then reveal it at the same time.” Nayeon quickly adds before the other four could do anything.

Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, and Mina gather around the youngest, nervously anticipating what was about to come. They go in a random order, the rest making sure to close their eyes so as not so see what the others had picked. Jihyo leans to her right to get a closer look, her leg long forgotten as she was now transfixed by the event unfolding in front of her. Dahyun and Chaeyoung waited with bated breaths, curious to see who would draw the shortest straw. After Jeongyeon picks the remaining one, they go back to their seats – hiding and waiting until it was time to reveal the results.

This was the deciding factor; there was no turning back now as they had fully committed themselves to this very moment. 

“On the count of three we’ll show each other what we got, okay?” Jeongyeon said, looking at everyone’s faces. The others nod; there was so much tension in the room that it almost felt unbearable for them to be there.

“ONE!” It had started.

“TWO!” Any second now and they would finally know.

“THREE!”

This was it.

A collective gasp filled the room as all eyes turned to Mina. The ballerina had yet to know the outcome of the game as her eyes were tightly shut. She slowly opened them and looked at the outstretched arms in front of her. Sana and Nayeon had picked the longest straws. Jeongyeon held the mid length one, and Momo’s straw was shaking in her hand. It was much shorter than Jeongyeon, she was sure Momo had lost, until she looked down at her own. Her straw sat on the palm of her hand, barely three inches long, it was relatively clear that it was shorter than Momo’s.

She had undoubtedly picked the shortest of the bunch.

__________

 

Mina occupied the couch in the basement, her knees raised to her chest and a blanket draped her frame. Everyone else had gone to sleep after the game, except for her. She needed to clear her head; she needed space to think about what had just transpired.

A round of congratulations chorused through the dorm when it was revealed that Mina would be the one joining the show. Comments were made left and right about how they would finally be able to see a side of her that no one was previously privy to.

 _“Congrats unnie!”_ Tzuyu’s voice echoed in her head.

She remembered Sana’s arm around her shoulders, _“Are we invited to the wedding?”_ she had joked, her smile stretched from ear to ear as she giggled uncontrollably.

 _“I always knew you’d get married before us.”_ Nayeon teased cheekily, her grin exposing her teeth in the most mischievous way.

They had all taken turns to express their amusements. She recalled Jeongyeon trying to carry Jihyo bridal style, but it had ended terribly when she tried to stand with the girl in her arms. They found themselves collapsing on the floor, their leader landing squarely on the blue haired girl’s torso – knocking the wind out of her. There was Dahyun who pretended to be a bride that was ready to throw her bouquet at her bridesmaids. She faced away from the girls, grabbed the nearest object – a stuffed animal given to them by a fan, and flung it behind her. It hit Chaeyoung on the head; the sudden force surprised her, causing her to drop her juice box and spilling its contents, _“Unnie!”_ she had yelled at Dahyun who laughed nervously at her. Lastly, there was Momo. Unexpectedly, she had only offered the ballerina a small smile. In most situations, the dancer would have joined in on the shenanigans, but she remained quiet throughout the night, only wishing her a good night’s sleep before she and the others left for their respective rooms.

There was no sense of happiness within her. Her mind raced, unable to comprehend the situation she was now in. This was her obligation now; it was a new commitment that she had to see through.

‘ _It can’t be helped.’_ She thought to herself. A frown graced her faced as she scrunched up her eyebrows. She picked up her phone that lied beside her, unlocking it to reveal the time. It was late; everyone was surely asleep by now, but she was still here thinking. It didn’t matter though; their schedules were free as they had been given a day to rest as a reward for their hard work. She sighed deeply; she would probably have to go to the JYPE headquarters to tell them about her newfound involvement on the show.

“Mitang?” A voice called out to her from the stairs. 

Her head shoots up to see Momo descending down from them, walking towards her, and plopping herself on the empty space on the couch. The older girl’s short hair was messy, the result of tossing and turning on her shared bed with Jeongyeon. The look of sleep was not lost on her face and a yawn from her mouth confirmed her drowsiness. Her pink oversized shirt clung to her body haphazardly, bunching and creasing in places that were loose.

“Why are you still up?” The older one inquires. The switch to their native language came naturally for her. 

Mina brings the blanket closer to her body; she props her chin on her knee and tilts her head to look at the girl. “I just have a lot on my mind,” she says quietly.

“Is it about the show?” Mina nods gloomily.

“You know you can talk to me right?” Momo offered as she shifts closer to the younger girl. 

Out of all the members, Momo was the most sociable one. She was the group’s common ground, able to be here and there for the others – never missing a beat when it came to interacting with everyone’s different personalities. Mina envied that about her. They were complete opposites in almost every aspect, but despite this, they were very close. She would go as far as to say that Momo was probably her closest friend and confidante in the group. Their dynamic was different compared to everyone else. Their interactions were minimal outside of the dorm, but when they occurred, it was the most natural thing for her. She felt at ease with the girl; even in the middle of roaring crowds, flashing cameras, and choreographed dances, she felt safe with her.

Mina’s eyes pricked with tears, but she was unwilling to let herself cry just yet. “I don’t think I’m the right person for this,” she voiced her frustration, “I’m not confident in myself. I barely get enough screen time whenever we’re on shows, but now I’ll be the focus of it all. What’s worse is that I’m going to have to go through this without you and the others. What if I can’t meet everyone’s expectations?” She ended; tears now flowing freely down her face.

Momo reached over to wrap her arms around the girl, she pulled her close and leaned back on the couch until they were both lying down. Mina buried her face in the crook of the older girl’s neck and cried quietly.

“I’m sorry,” Momo whispers gently in her ear, “if there was any way for me to be there, you know I wouldn’t hesitate one bit to be by your side.” Mina knew this to be true; Momo was the type of person who was always ready whenever someone needed her.

“Even if I can’t be there physically, just know that I’m always a call away if you ever need me; and that goes for the other members too. And if all else fails,” a grin forms on her face, “you can always order jokbal with your husband. It’ll be like I’m there.”

Hearing this elicited a small giggle from the girl in her arms, of course Momo would talk about food at a time like this, she thought. “You’ll be okay, if there’s anyone capable of doing anything, it’s you. You’re stronger than you make yourself out to be, you just need to give yourself the chance to prove it.” Her crying had now reduced to sniffling. “Thanks Momoring,” muttered Mina.

“You know, you’re not officially part of the show yet until you confirm it with the show coordinators,” Momo said, her voice muffled by Mina’s hair as she leaned her head on her. “If it’s troubling you so much I can technically take your place, I mean I did pick the second shortest straw after all. I’m practically the next in line if you decline. 

The offer was tempting for Mina, the only thing she had to do was ask Momo, and she would be free from partaking in the show. She felt guilt course through her at the thought of foregoing her responsibilities and giving them to someone else, yet the idea remained in her mind. If she refused, she would be free to continue living the way she had been. There would be no need for her to be put in any awkward situations with someone she barely knew, no one would be able to see her during her most vulnerable times, all she needed to do was say “yes” –

“No,” Mina shook the thought from her head, “thank you, but no.” she said definitively. Momo had taken the time to comfort her and give her the push that she needed to make up her mind. Her newfound confidence, despite how small it was, was enough for her to realize that maybe it was time for her to branch out and be more outgoing.

Her anxiety had, for the most part, subsided but a touch of uneasiness remained. “Are you sure?’ the older of the two asks. Although she wasn’t _completely_ sure of herself, she knew that she needed to try and make the most of it, or else she would regret letting an opportunity for her to grow slip past her.

“Yes, you’re right. I’ve never given myself the chance to prove myself because I’ve been so scared of disappointing others, now that I’m older I think I need to start being more self reliant and worry about not disappointing myself.” Hearing Mina say this put a smile on Momo’s face.

“Whomever you end up marrying is one lucky person,” slips out from Momo’s mouth.

Mina blushes at her words, hiding her face. Momo laughs as the shyness returns and overcomes the younger girl. She was going to be fine after all.

They sleep soundly that night. Mina suggests that they go back to their rooms, but Momo refuses, opting instead to just stay on the couch out of laziness and comfort. Mina doesn’t deny that she was also content with just lying there so they let sleep take over their tired bodies until morning arrived.

 __________

 

Where was she?

Jeongyeon woke up early the next day to find that she was alone in the room she shared with Momo. She vaguely remembered the girl getting up at night to use the bathroom, but she didn’t recall her coming back. It was strange not seeing her there, it was quite known that the said girl valued her sleep, only waking up if her bladder demanded her to do so, if there was food ready to be eaten, or if they were scheduled to do something. Maybe she had taken another bathroom break? When it was evident that her roommate was not going to come back, she sat up and got off their bed.

She exited her room and made her way to the kitchen, where she was greeted by Jihyo, another early riser like herself. No food was laid out on the table so Momo couldn’t have possibly woken up from her stomach.

“Have you seen Momo?” she asks the leader, reaching for the mug of coffee Jihyo had made for her. She pulls one of the chairs out and sits on it, setting her mug down after taking a sip. 

“Nope,” Jihyo shook her head, “does she have a schedule today?”

“As far as I know, everyone’s off today; and even if she did I don’t think she would have willingly gotten up on her own.” Jeongyeon took it upon herself to always drag Momo off of their bed whenever there was something planned. Even when she had her own schedule separate from the blue haired girl, she would ask the older girl to wake her up because she couldn’t trust herself to not sleep past her alarm.

“Mina’s missing too,” Jihyo frowned, sipping from her own steaming cup of coffee; “she wasn’t in her bed when I woke up.” 

This perplexed Jeongyeon even more, now she had learned that _two_ of the members were nowhere to be found. She gets up from her seat and walks to the largest bedroom, opening the door and taking a peek inside to confirm what Jihyo had said. Nayeon had just gotten up from her bed and was ready to leave the room until she saw an eye through the slightly open door. She grabs the handle and fully swings the door open startling the girl on the other side. 

“Are you  _trying_ to give me a heart attack?!” Nayeon whispered loudly, careful not to wake Sana up.

“I could say the same about you! You’re not exactly a sight for sore eyes right now.” Jeongyeon stuck her tongue out at the older girl. Nayeon mimicked her actions. They both make their way to the kitchen, teasing each other along the way.

“Oh, Nabongs, you’re up early,” Jihyo remarks, “Do you want some coffee?”

Nayeon opens the refrigerator and scanned its contents, “No, thanks Jihyo,” she says to the younger girl as she grabs a carton of juice and shuts the door. The eldest girl of the group navigated through the kitchen to the dish rack, pulled a glass out and poured herself the juice in her hand 

“What were you two up to?” Nayeon questions the two girls sitting across from each other on the table. She leans her back against the kitchen sink and lifts the glass to her lips.

“We’re looking for Momo and Mina, we don’t know where they are.” Jihyo proceeds to get up from the chair to put her now empty mug in the sink. Nayeon stops her and takes the mug, placing it behind her. The leader smiled thankfully at the older girl, happy that she wouldn’t have to strain herself.

“Hmm, Mina never went to bed last night. Sana and I stayed up until midnight talking but she never came in.” Nayeon pursed her lips, wondering where they could be. She tried to recall what happened last night after the game until realization hit her, and her face lit up.

“Ah! I think I saw her heading down into the basement last night when I got up to drink water.”

And so the three made their way down to the basement with Nayeon leading them while Jeongyeon held Jihyo steady, being careful not to walk too fast or else Jihyo would be left behind. When they finally arrived at the bottom of the stairs, the sight of two sleeping figures curled up together on the couch greeted them. Mina laid on top of Momo, her head rested neatly on the crook of the girl’s neck, her right arm draped over the dancer’s waist, and their legs tangled together at the end of the narrow seat.

“Oh my god, Momo.” Nayeon snickered and pointed at the other girl. The girl in question had her right arm around Mina, securing her in place; her other arm dangled limply over the edge of the couch, and her head tilted to the side. Her mouth was agape – drool spilling over and forming a pool. Needless to say, it wasn’t the cutest sight to see coming from the normally cute girl.

Jeongyeon and Jihyo walked towards the two to see what Nayeon had been laughing at. Once they were in a better position, Jihyo choked down a laugh that had started to form in her throat. Jeongyeon quickly grabbed the phone in her pocket and aimed the camera at the figures on the couch, making sure to get every detail. She was sure she could use this as another material to show their fans on her next V Live. She hurriedly took a picture and pocketed the evidence, “Should we wake them up?” she asks the two next to her. “Let’s just let them sleep, they’ll wake up eventually. Besides, we don’t have to do anything today so they might as well rest.” Jihyo whispers, picking up the blanket that had fallen on the floor and draping it over them. The other two nod in agreement.

They walk back up the stairs giggling at the picture Jeongyeon took; the others were surely awake by now so they needed to prepare breakfast for everyone.

__________ 

 

Momo wakes up feeling very stiff. Her left arm was numb from holding itself up over the couch; the lack of support left it aching all night long. She proceeded to lift her right arm, intent on rubbing her eyes, but found herself pinned down by a body. Having now noticed the extra weight that was on her, the dancer felt her heart beat faster – panic coursing through her nerves. She was now fully awake and scanning her surroundings. Her tensed body loosened when she recognized the vanities across from her, a row of mirrors adorned the wall reflecting her disoriented state. An assortment of makeup covered the tables, and low back chairs dotted the room. She was in the dorm’s basement, so the body must be –

“Mina,” the girl whispered, earning her an indiscernible mumble from the unconscious body.

Momo remembered now, her memories came back to her in inconsistent waves, but she was still able to paint a clear picture of what had transpired the night before. 

Game. Bathroom. Basement. Mina. Tears.

She had a soft spot for the girl. Her Japanese compatriot was nothing like her yet they meshed well with each other, filling empty spaces in their lives like pieces of the same puzzle. After years of living together, she knew enough of the girl to know that she was as introverted and shy as they come, so when Mina had drawn the shortest straw, she felt pity and concern for her. Despite their careers, she knew Mina never actively sought attention.

It was a stark contrast really, a reserved ballerina thrust into the fast world of K-pop where the likes of Momo thrived. Where other idols would flaunt their talents and skills, Momo noticed that the other girl preferred to be off to the side – observing and taking in everything around her. Any situation that required more from them led her to always encourage Mina to do her best because she knew she would never actively put herself in a position that could potentially embarrass her.

Momo wanted to comfort her right when the game had ended, but everyone else had other ideas and the next thing she knew, she was being ushered to her room by a sleepy Jeongyeon. She considered herself lucky when she saw that it was Mina in the basement after her venture to the bathroom. She was able to talk to her in private; and although tears were shed, she was glad she could console her. She was even more elated when the ballerina took it upon herself to decline her offer and embrace the situation she was in. She felt proud of her friend and the steps she was taking to be more open with herself.

Momo shifted the weight on top of her, _“Mitang,”_ she whispered louder; her second attempt at waking up the sleeping girl had succeeded. As much as she wanted to let the girl sleep, her body had lost all feeling, and she was desperate to regain it back. Not to mention, the smell of breakfast from the kitchen upstairs had started to waft down into the basement, lingering in the air and teasing her empty stomach.  

“Hn?” Mina’s eyes fluttered open.

Momo smiled sheepishly, “I can’t feel my body.” 

Mina sighed, slowly getting up from Momo and stretching her hand out towards her to help her up. “Maybe it was a bad idea for the two of us to sleep on the couch. 

“Next time you’re feeling sad, you should just stay in your room so we can sleep on your bed.” The dancer stuck her tongue out at the other girl. Her arms were high above her head, and her body twisted and bended in different directions working out all the kinks that had formed during the night.

“My bed’s too small. How about I just go to your room next time, and we can kick Jeongyeon out.”

They both laugh at the idea of Jeongyeon trying to enter the room to no avail – the door locked as both sleep on the only bed in the dorm large enough for two people.

The moment was interrupted by a low growl emanating from Momo’s stomach. For a second she had forgotten about her hunger, but it had made itself known and now it was all that she could think of.

“Come on,” Mina grabbed Momo’s hand, “let’s get some food in you.”

The walk to the kitchen was short and silent, no words were needed between the two even when Sana questioned them about where they had been, they simply exchanged knowing smiles, and playfully ignored the last member of the Japanese line. 

“You guys are just going to ignore me?” Sana cried as she made an effort to shove herself between the two. “What if something happened to you?” she spread her arms wide and brought them into a hug, squeezing tightly.

Jeongyeon entered the kitchen; she had heard Sana ‘s loud voice indicating the two remaining members had finally woken up. She hands Sana her phone, unlocked proudly on the picture of Momo and Mina sleeping together.

“Don’t worry Sana, they were just cuddling in the basement.” Jeongyeon proclaims causing Mina to blush at the intimate implications of what she had just said.

Sana huffed, pouting and looking at the picture, “You were cuddling _without_ me?”

“Sana unnie you’re such a snake.” Tzuyu interjected from her seat, swallowing a mouthful of food. 

The three maknaes had been sitting around the table eating their breakfast when Momo and Mina appeared. Chaeyoung, the nearest from Sana, peeks at the phone curious to see what was on it. “Wow Mina unnie, who knew you could be so affectionate.” She comments, “and Momo unnie…” she trailed off bursting into a laugh, unable to finish her sentence.

Dahyun, the first to finish her breakfast, walks up to the group huddled around Jeongyeon’s phone. She cranes her neck over Sana’s shoulder and immediately doubles over from laughing. “Momo unnie you look like a lazy uncle with that expression on your face!” she said in between laughs.

“Eh?!”

Momo made a move to snatch the phone, but Sana quickly tossed it to Jeongyeon who in turn gave it to Dahyun. A game of cat and mouse ensued within the dorm with Momo chasing whoever the phone landed with. She gave up after a few minutes, unable to procure the troublesome device. Her low energy had hindered her ability to chase Jeongyeon fast enough before the girl ran into their bedroom and locked the door.

Momo’s eyes meet Mina’s, “That could have been much easier if you would have just helped me,” Momo pouted, taking a seat across from her. The girl simply smiled and hands her a plate full of food, successfully erasing the frown on Momo’s face.

“You were in that picture too you know.”

“Yeah, but unlike you I actually looked okay,” Mina laughed as Momo tossed a piece of bacon at her. Momo sighed; at this rate, it was going to be a long day.

__________ 

 

It was well past noon when Mina had to go to JYPE’s headquarters. Her manager had driven them in silence as the girl contemplated about the meeting that would take place. She was filled with and uneasiness, and maybe she should have asked one of the members to accompany her, but she couldn’t possibly ruin their day off to do something as trivial as this.

The drive didn’t take that long, and Mina soon found herself in a room sitting at the head of a long table. Everyone had already been waiting earnestly for her appearance. After introductions were made, the show writers briefed her thoroughly, papers filled with details and a contract were handed to her, and she made a mental note to read through them later.

A voice from the other end of the table spoke to her in a succinct tone, drawing the attention of everyone who was seated, “As detailed in the guidebook we’ve given you, the show format has changed – _We Got Married_ will now feature only one couple.”

“We’re planning on filming the show for six months, give or take, with a new episode aired each week. You’ll be dropped off in a private location that will serve as your home, and you’ll spend every Friday to Sunday there along with your partner. No crewmembers will be present so you can privately simulate what it’s like as a married couple, but we’ll have them on standby near your house to film you if you decide to go somewhere else. We’ll occasionally give you missions or suggestions to help move the show along, but for the most part you’re free to do whatever you want.”

He picks up a paper with a picture of Mina’s face on it, the sheet was barely white as printed words filled the once blank expanse and colored highlighters marked pertinent information about her. “Having looked at your profile, I think it would be best for you to be paired with someone who doesn’t share the same personality as you.”

“I agree,” another chimed, “we usually choose people with similar personalities, but it’s important that we show different dynamics and other diversities that were lacking with our previous couples.”

The woman next to her hands her a folder, “On that note, we’ve had an idea for awhile now, but we’ve never been able to execute it until now. MBC just recently gave us their approval after we showed them these, so I hope you could take a look and consider this option.”

Mina studied the folder in her hand; it was a report detailing the results of a survey taken weeks prior to the meeting. Statistics and charts of different shapes and sizes lined the sheets. She flipped through the pages, landing on the last leaf of paper – a signature displayed proudly on the bottom, an indication that the report had gained the approval of MBC’s chairman. She turned back to the first page and scanned it until she found what she was looking for. The survey in question asked for the thoughts and opinions of same-sex marriage and it’s portrayal in the media. Judging from the results, it was resoundingly clear that many had answered positively, especially from people from her demographic.

The thought of being in a relationship with someone of the same gender never occurred to her. In fact, she never really thought about relationships in general. She perceived love as an inexplicable phenomenon that held no restrictions, and she was proud to say that she supported the movement of being able to love someone wholeheartedly without any limitations, but was she ready to put herself out there and take the show to another level?

“I don’t have a problem with it, I think it would be really interesting.” She says nervously.

“Thank you,” the woman says, “It’s still up for discussion, and we need to properly vet candidates to find the right person for you, so there’s no guarantee that it will be a woman.”

“Let’s move on to finding you a match,” a writer cleared his throat, his voice declaring an end to the briefing and formalities. “Can you tell us what you look for in a partner?”

Mina felt embarrassed at the idea of sharing her thoughts and feelings with a room full of strangers, but she willingly revealed them – hoping they would find the person she was describing.

“I’m not outgoing and I prefer being alone, so I would want someone who takes the initiative to push me out of my comfort zone, but still be aware of how I feel,” she takes a deep breath, her heart pounding in her ears, “I want someone who I can lean on during hard times, someone who’s dependable and caring. I have many insecurities, so I think if they were sure about themselves then I can learn to be like them and love myself more.”

This must be what dying feels like; she’s positive her words have dug a grave for her somewhere, and all she needs to do is throw what’s left of her in it. She considers herself lucky that she didn’t go through with badgering one of the girls to follow her or else they would never let her live this moment down.

“Can you describe your relationship with the other TWICE members; this will help us gain a better understanding of how you relate with people who are already close to you.”

Mina nods relieved by the slight reprieve; she recalled the members in her head – laughing lightly as various memories played out in her mind. She gave them a thorough description of all the girls, from Jeongyeon and Jihyo’s parent-like behaviors to her inability to keep up with Dahyun’s hyperactivity. She paused when she reached Momo; she had many things to say about the girl, but no words were adequate enough to express how she felt about her. If she thought her heart couldn’t beat any faster, she was wrong. 

“To put it bluntly, my relationship with Momo would be the combination of my relationship with the others. She means a lot to me, even though it’s not as obvious as people think. I think she knows me more than I know myself, which is nice because I can always go to her whenever I second guess myself.” Mina looked around the room. A few of the writers took notes, scribbling lines on papers in front of them. The rest of the staff looked at her, listening intently at her words. 

“You two must be really close.”

The ballerina smiled remembering their conversation from the previous night, “Yes, you could say that. She was the one who actually encouraged me join the show. I was hesitant at first, but she gave me the courage to go forth with it. I don’t think I could have done this without her.”

“We should thank her then,” she heard someone say lightheartedly. The round of laughter that resonates in the room alleviates the embarrassment she’s been feeling since she’s been there, allowing her to be more open and honest with her answers.

The meeting concluded after a few more questions. A suitable partner would be found within a week, and filming would start in three, coinciding with their last concert. Mina packed her belongings, handing the stack of papers that she had accrued in the hours she had been there to her manager. She sends a text to TWICE’s group chat, informing them through concise messages of what had happened during the meeting. Judging from their frantic replies, they were excited for her even more than they were last night now that it was official. After satisfying the members’ questions and reading through her other messages that she had missed during her meeting, she and her manager make their way to the parked company van, fixed on heading back to the dorm to enjoy what was left of their day off.

 __________

 

The drive back home wasn’t as quick as she it wanted to be. Cars were jammed on the highway indicating that everyone had gotten off work and were eagerly going home. This meant that she would have to spend a few more minutes on the road, listening to drivers as they took their anger out on whoever was holding up the traffic. She was as impatient as everyone else, but after the fifth honk from the car behind them, it had grown to frustration. 

She should thank the universe when her phone started ringing, hopefully the call would ease her and serve as a distraction, she thought to herself. She picked it up and studied the screen, Momo’s name pops up and with a swift tap, she accepts the call from the dancer.

“Hi Momo”

 _“Hi Mitang,”_ the other end of the line says, her voice was groggy and a yawn erupted from the phone speakers; the use of her nickname makes her smile and any ounce of annoyance she harbored quickly dissipated.

“Did you just wake up?” she asks, she remembered Momo had taken a nap before she left earlier. She wanted to see her before she left, and maybe ask if she wanted to come, but decided against it when she saw her sleeping peacefully.

Momo hums affirmatively. _“My phone kept ringing from the group chat. How was the meeting?”_ Mina apologizes for disturbing her sleep, but the dancer brushes it off not minding the interruption.

“It went better than I expected." 

Mina fills in Momo, stopping occasionally to hear from the other girl. She relayed all the information she retained and backtracks once in a while to add more detail. When she finishes the part about the survey, silence befalls them, “Momo?” Mina calls; afraid the phone call might have been dropped.

 _“I’m here,”_ Momo replies a few seconds later, _“How do you feel about that?”_ her question urges Mina to continue.

“I don’t mind it. I don’t think it really matters considering I’m going to get married no matter what.” The girl trails her words. Was Momo concerned for any possible backlash or –

“Does it bother you?” Mina asks quietly, she looks at her manager who motions for her to peek out of her window. They were pulling up to the dorm’s garage; Mina was surprised to see they were near their destination – it had seemed like she had been on the phone for only a few minutes, but talking to Momo had expedited their drive home. 

Mina hears shuffling through Momo’s end and it causes her ears to perk as she waits for her to answer.

_“Not at all.”_

The van had now been parked next to another vehicle identical to its own. Mina hops out of the passenger side door and walks towards the dorm.

 _“I just never expected it. I’m glad people have been more accepting.”_  There’s something in Momo’s voice that Mina can’t quite decipher – a sense of relief, or maybe joy; she lets the thought slip from her mind when she finally finds her way inside. She waves at her fellow members. Jeongyeon, Nayeon, Sana, and Dahyun were huddled in the living room engrossed by a drama playing on the TV, meanwhile Jihyo, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu were sitting in the kitchen talking animatedly.

 _“Are you almost home?_  

Mina doesn’t answer, choosing instead to walk to Momo and Jeongyeon’s room. She stops briefly in front of the entrance; a creak echoed from beyond the door and through her phone confirming the other girl’s whereabouts. She opens the door and is greeted by the sight of Momo lying lazily on her bed. The girl looks up and smiles as she and Mina end the call and set their phones down.

Momo waves for her to come over and Mina walks towards the bed and sits down at its edge.

“You know, I think I prefer sleeping with you more than Jeongyeon.” Momo yawned.

Mina laughs at the confession; her face flushes red – the color creeping from her neck and resting softly on her cheeks as Momo buries her face in a pillow.

“Why do you say that?” 

Momo smiled, “She’s not that receptive when it comes to cuddling.” Momo pulls Mina down to lie beside her, making space so the girl could position herself comfortably. Her arm snakes their way around Mina’s slim waist resting gently on her firm stomach – her shirt had risen a bit, and the warm touch sends a wave of energy throughout her body. It causes her head to momentarily ache before it moves down to her stomach where it leaves her feeling like someone had turned it inside out, and finally, it escapes through her toes where she subconsciously curls them, only relaxing when she’s sure the feeling has subsided.

Mina’s face felt hot, “Why not just ask one of the others to sleep with you?”  Momo was known to be clingy towards everyone and she admits she’s shared moments like this with the girl, but her heart starts to race faster and she has to ask herself why she’s suddenly so shy when they’ve done this before.

She shrugs in response and Mina’s unaware that the same feeling that had consumed and left her had now entered Momo; and she’s grateful that her face is hidden or else Mina would have seen the same blush mirrored on her visage, “They might end up drawing on my face while I sleep.”

“And how do you know I won’t do the same?” Mina asks inquisitively, wondering what makes her different from the rest. 

Momo laughs, “Because Jihyo put all the office supplies in the basement, and we all know nothing can separate you from your bed.”

Mina pushes her and scoffs in a playful manner, “Are you insinuating that I’m lazy?” she says eyeing the girl next to her.

“I’m saying you probably like your bed more than me, maybe enough to marry it.” Momo grins as a stuffed animal hits her, and it doesn’t take long for it to turn into full-blown laughter when she feels fingers tickle her sides aggressively.

“Speaking of marriage,” Jeongyeon said, her body leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, and eyebrows raised; “once you two are done with your cuddle fest come to the living room, we ordered pizza to celebrate Mina’s new show.”

Jeongyeon leaves them to recover, and after taking a few minutes to regulate Momo’s breathing, they leave the comfort of the bed for the living room. Everyone else had already gathered themselves in a circle around boxes of pizza and celebratory wine. When Momo and Mina join them, the party finally starts, but not before Jihyo lectures them about excessive drinking and having a hangover during tomorrow’s fan meeting. The rest of them respond by shoving a slice of pizza in her hand and a glass of wine in the other.

__________ 

 

The following weeks breeze past them; Mina had almost forgotten about the show, but it’s not like she minds the momentary lapse. Every day was a countdown to the beginning of her virtual marriage, and each time she thought about it, her anxiety would wrack her body leaving her in a jittery mess.  She had _almost_ let is slip from her mind, until she received a text from her manager telling her that _We Got Married_ ’s show writers had found her a partner.

She experienced a full spectrum of emotions when she received the news, and it only intensified when she was called in to take promotional pictures for the show. It didn’t stop there; the members were constantly on their toes for new articles written about her, which they would happily share on their group chat.

TWICE was currently in one of JYPE’s practice rooms. Mina sat on the floor, leaning against the mirror; she was exhausted from all the dancing they had done. Just like her marriage, their final concert for the tour was quickly approaching, and they needed to nail all the choreography or risk making a fool of themselves in front of their fans.

Tzuyu, who had taken a seat next to the Japanese girl, nudges her lightly to get her attention, “Look unnie,” she gives her phone to Mina, pointing at the screen where a piece about her eventual marriage displayed proudly.

 _“What Is Love? TWICE’s Mina Will Soon Find Out”_ a groan makes its way out of her mouth, “They really need to stop using our song titles,” She mumbles to the younger girl remembering the numerous articles that featured their songs in their headlines. 

“YAH! Where have you been?!”

The shouting had torn Mina’s eyes from Tzuyu’s phone to Sana, whose yelling was directed towards the doorway.

Momo stood at the door. She was hunched over with her hands placed on her knees, her face was flushed, a light sheen of sweat lined her forehead, and her breathing was labored. It was clear to everyone that she had been running, but from where? 

Mina looked at her fellow Japanese member; her eyes meet Momo’s and they exchange quick glances. She silently asks where she’s been, but Momo only smiles in return.

“Sorry guys, I had some business to take care of.” She apologizes profusely.

Jihyo claps, gaining everyone’s attention, “Okay! Now that Momo’s here, we can practice properly." 

It’s not lost on Mina that Momo’s been disappearing quite frequently. Her nonattendance carries on to the next week, and Mina’s sure she’s been heading to headquarters each time she leaves because she comes back with papers in her hands that look like contracts and other official documents, but she never prods her about it.

She’s curious to know what she’s been up to, but the girl always leaves at the most inopportune times. They’ve barely said a word to each other these past two weeks, and Mina really wants to tell Momo how anxious she is about everything, but Momo looks just as anxious as she is so she tells Sana instead.

Momo leaves again a few days later.

 _“Maybe she’s taking part in another dance competition,”_ she thinks when Momo excuses herself to find their manager during a movie night in the dorm. They had been sitting next to each other when her phone lit up with a message. Mina glanced at the phone in her hand, and caught a glimpse of the sender simply named “Coordinator Oppa.”

Mina tries to wait for her, but she doesn’t return until late at night, and by then she’s too tired to keep her eyes open so she heads to bed instead with Momo on her mind.

The last week arrives just as fast as the previous two, and Mina grudgingly agrees that it has been the most hectic week she’s experienced in a long time. The last leg of their album tour had put a toll on her body, and for the first time since she was picked to join _We Got Married,_ she’s actually relieved that it will be her only obligation for awhile. 

Their concert goes off without a hitch, and she’s proud that all the hard work and time they spent preparing for it has culminated into a show their fans thoroughly enjoy. It was now time for their final bow before they depart from the stage, but before they can say their “thank yous” and “goodbyes” Nayeon chimes in preventing them from ending the show.

“ONCE do you know what today is?” She asks the crowd.

Their fans erupt, excited by the turn of events. They answer in the negative, prompting Nayeon to continue. 

“As you all know, our Minari is going to be taking part in a special show.”

Jihyo joins in, “That’s right! Mina’s getting married today!”

Cheers fill the stadium they were in, and Mina’s face turns red from the attention. Her name resounds in repeated chants, and all she can do is smile shyly as the energy in the stadium is renewed. 

Dahyun motions for them to calm down, and the crowd’s cheers abate. “Before we end the show, and before Mina unnie starts hers,” Dahyun turns towards Mina’s direction, “we want to say a few words.”

Mina had not anticipated this surprise, but who could blame her when her attention had been fully devoted to her impending marriage and their last concert. She welcomes it nonetheless, eager to hear what the members had to say to her.

Tzuyu, who stood next to her, brings her microphone to her mouth, “We wanted to do something else, but we’ve been so busy preparing for this concert that we didn’t have enough time.”

Mina reassures them that it was fine; she smiles warmly at her members, grateful that they thought of her even during their busiest days.

“Alright, let’s start from down the line.” Jeongyeon says from her place in the middle, directing Tzuyu to continue.

“Mina unnie, if you ever feel like you need to get something off your chest then you should just be blunt and say it.” Tzuyu didn’t mince her words; her brusque advice evokes laughter from the filled stadium, and Mina laughs as well hugging the taller girl.

Sana steps up from her position in line, “Mina, if you’re husband gives you any problems make sure you tell me, and I’ll sort it out for you.” 

Mina lets out a low chuckle at one of her closest companions, “Thanks Satang,” she gives her a genuine smile, wondering what exactly Sana was capable of when she’s angry. 

“Minari,” Nayeon says sweetly, “don’t forget to show your husband your aegyo from time to time.” The eldest girl winks at her, and Mina can only shrink in mortification.

“What are you saying?!” Jeongyeon shouts at Nayeon, grabbing her by the collar and pulling her back from embarrassing Mina even further. Nayeon laughs at their reactions, and incites their annoyance even more by mustering up her last remaining energy to act as cute as possible.

Once Jeongyeon subdues the older girl – Nayeon now stuck in a headlock, the blue haired girl starts with a tired tone, “I’m jealous you’re going to be spending time away from these guys, the only thing you have to worry about is cleaning after one person,” she sighs and continues, “Make sure whoever you marry helps you out.”

Chaeyoung waves at her, “Unnie, you should start being more assertive now that you’re getting married, and let me visit you sometime.”

“She’s right! And don’t spend too much time in bed playing video games, you should enjoy your marriage!” Dahyun says cheerfully. Mina nods and forms a heart with her thumb and pointer finger, extending her arm out to show the two younger girls.

Jihyo clears her throat, “I hope you and your partner take the time to get to know and understand each other. Marriage isn’t just about love; you have to find a balance so you can live peacefully with one another. When you feel like giving up, just remember that at the end of the day, they’ll be right beside you.” Leave it to their leader to come prepared and give her sage advice.

It was now Momo’s turn to speak; truth be told, she was looking forward to what she had to say as they had hardly talked about anything substantial leading up to this day.

“Mina,” Momo starts, a hint of shyness and nervousness laced her voice, “do you remember that night in the basement when you told me how scared you were about joining the show?” Mina nods at her question, she couldn’t begin to comprehend how far along she’s come thanks in part to the older girl’s encouragement. “I told you that if there was any way for me to be there I wouldn’t think twice to be by your side. I want to keep my promise to you. When it gets too difficult, I hope you can depend on me to help you. Likewise, when you’re feeling happy, I hope you can share those moments with me too.”

There’s something about how the harsh stage lights shine on Momo in just the right way that it makes her look ethereal. The lights dancing on her skin create a soft glow, the contrasting shadows highlight her features sharply, and Mina finds her shy smile so endearing that she can’t help but mirror it. 

Just as the moment comes to her, it quickly vanishes into a colorful blur of outfits and dyed hair as Jihyo corrals the girls into a group hug with Mina in the center. 

The concert ends inevitably, and they soon find themselves backstage in a dressing room with a camera crew ready to capture the momentous reveal of her partner. 

No one could prepare Mina for this nerve-wracking occasion. If someone had told her a month ago that she would be standing in a stuffy room with her group members waiting nervously for her _We Got Married_ co-star to make their appearance, she would have laughed, but here she was now - tight lipped with no trace of laughter and her heart beating so loudly in her chest, she was certain everyone could hear it as well. 

There was no dance number, there was no need to unmask or remove costumes that hid who she’s been thinking of these past three weeks, no one bursts through the door with flowers claiming they’re the one, but despite the lack of grandeur, she still finds it charming when she feels fingers intertwine with hers and a soft voice calls her name.

“Mitang”

She has to stop for a minute to process what’s happening because the voice sounded so familiar; she looks down at the hand holding hers, her gaze travels to the owner’s face, and she sees Momo’s lips move, “I guess we’re married now.”

She feels conflicted. There’s a part of her that wants it to be Momo because she’d rather go through this with her than with anyone else, but she also feels like this is all some elaborate prank conceptualized and carried out to prove some kind of point that Mina can’t quite understand, but everyone’s looking at her – her group members are slack jawed, the cameras are still rolling, and the show’s producer hasn’t made a move to stop Momo.

Mina replays everything that’s happened so far in her head; she thinks back to that moment on stage when Momo said those words, _“I told you that if there was any way for me to be there I wouldn’t think twice to be by your side. I want to keep my promise to you.”_ It repeats itself like a broken record, and when she finally looks at the girl again – the shy smile still plastered on her face, she finally understands so she nods and releases the breath she’s been holding and says, “I guess we are.”


	2. New Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second chapter has finally arrived! As always, enjoy!

The air in the car was stifling – chock full of awkward tension that she wasn’t aware TWICE was capable of because even in the most serious of situations, or days when they could barely move from exhaustion, they still found it in themselves to create a lively atmosphere, but none of that could be found here. The silence was deafening, and Momo’s convinced that she’s played a part in its creation; after all, no one has said a word since she revealed her new role as Mina’s “wife”, and it’s been a few hours since then. The normally rambunctious group of Momo, Sana, Dahyun, and Nayeon sat in one of two company vans homebound after an exciting day, and an even more eventful night following their concert. She hadn’t expected this reaction from her friends, or at the very least she didn’t expect it to be _this_ adverse, but she’s been sitting there fiddling with the phone in her hands, and any sound she hears causes her heart to beat irregularly because all she wants is for someone to say something.

The bright light that emanates from her lap, and the collective sound of phones ringing indicate that a text had been sent in their group chat; she unlocks her phone quickly, excited from the break of stillness that enveloped the car, and a message from Jihyo pops up.

 _“Let’s have a party once we get home!”_ she could practically hear her leader say.

“Of course,” she replies among the seven other similar messages that flooded the chat.

 _“We have to celebrate our last concert for this tour,”_ Sana texts, Momo chances a brief glance at the Japanese girl sitting next to her and is met by a preoccupied figure staring intently at her phone.

Momo sends a quick text in agreement; they needed to celebrate their concert _and_ her and Mina’s new show, but she doesn’t mention that part out loud or through text.

The group chat was now buzzing with activity, and everyone was furiously engaged in a battle to decide what food to order when Momo catches Mina’s name typing a reply, and her mind takes her back to the dressing room where her worries began.

 _“Okay, I think we’ve captured enough footage for the reveal. Good work today everyone!”_ Momo heard the producer say.

The small room they occupied felt even smaller despite the retreating camera crew. She felt numerous pairs of eyes boring through her – waiting for a viable explanation of what had just happened, but before she could even utter a word, the rest of her group members were evacuated from the room to give way for a meeting between her, Mina, and _We Got Married’s_ show writers.

Momo and Mina sat themselves on the small couch in the room. Despite the furniture’s modest size, the space between them created from sitting on opposite ends made it feel larger than it should have been.

_“We’re going to officially start filming in your new home tomorrow so prepare accordingly; pack whatever you feel is necessary because we’ll be shooting in that location for three days every week for the next six months or so. We’ve given your managers your schedules so please consult them about it.”_

The two girls could only nod as they were briefed for the next day’s activities, and in due time the meeting ends. They exchanged courteous bows and polite words of gratitude with the crew for their hard work until they were the remaining occupants in the room.

She felt herself shrinking and folding into her very being, Mina had not said a word to her nor had she acknowledged her in any way after filming had ended. Could she have made a mistake joining the show? Had she been too eager to help her friend be more open and confident that her help resulted in the opposite effect? Maybe Mina’s disappointed that she wasn’t some other idol or actor that could easily make her swoon and fall in love with them. She frowned at the thought as she shifted her weight nervously.

The need to diffuse the awkwardness in the room manifested rapidly within her. She needed to talk to the girl. She needed confirmation that she didn’t mess up and that they were okay, and she needed to hear it soon; but the ticking from the clock from the nearby wall made her feel like eternity had passed, and the last thing she wanted was to feel a lifetime of uneasiness around one of her closest friends, but maybe she could put this endlessness to good use.

_“Mina –“_

Eternity condensed into seconds as time fails her and she cursed internally because their manager comes into the dressing room – interrupting her before she can explain herself to the girl.

_“The vans are ready, we’re just waiting on you two now.”_

_“Okay, we were just about to head out,”_ it was the only thing Mina had said in the hour they’ve been there.

_No._

_Please stay._

Momo silently begged her, but the other girl’s not a mind reader so they exit the room posthaste; the older Japanese member followed closely behind wanting nothing more than to pull the younger one aside to talk, but as luck would have it they wouldn’t even be sharing the same ride home.

“Moguri”

The voice snaps her out of her reverie and she turns her head to look at the source. The van had long been parked and bodies lazily made their way out of the two vehicles; Nayeon stood outside stretching her arms high above her head and said with an accompanying yawn, “We’re home.” Momo nods in response, not trusting her voice after its lack of use.

In her haste to quickly jump out of the van, she loses her footing and collides with Tzuyu. She braces herself for the fall, but it never comes as an arm wraps itself around her waist. She doesn’t need to look back to identify who it is; the perfume is a big indicator because no one else in the group wears that particular fragrance. The light mixture of vanilla and fruity undertones was noxious in the best way possible – pervading her senses, and leaving her head spinning. Her knees weaken just a bit, but she tells herself that it’s due to her sloppy descent.

As swiftly as the arm had caught her, it retreats back just as fast when Chaeyoung calls for the owner.

“Mina unnie! Hurry up, we need to order the food!”

Mina steps out from behind her, brushing her arm lightly, and a hint of a smile on her face. Momo tries to smile back, but it comes out strained and in the short amount of time that it takes for her to finally fix it, Mina’s long gone, and she finds herself walking side by side next to Jeongyeon – their arms linked and steps synchronized.

“You’re so clumsy sometimes,” her blue haired roommate mutters.

__________

 

It didn’t take long for the festivities to commence. Once orders had been placed and showers were taken, a new air of excitement soon followed, replacing the stagnant atmosphere from earlier.

The girls sat themselves in their living room – the hub of all group activities and social gatherings in their dorm. Food and drinks circulated among them, and their conversations filled the void Momo endured during their ride home.

“Dahyun unnie, the fans really liked your Dahyunism,” Tzuyu remarks, recalling the pale girl’s performance.

Dahyun thanks her silently, swallows a mouthful of food and responds with a blush, “I can’t believe I cried so much.”

Sana bounced from her seat on the floor, “I liked when Jeongyeon groped Nayeon unnie’s butt!”

“Me too!” Nayeon proudly exclaims earning a strong push from Jeongyeon.

Their words flowed fluidly within the dorm as the girls happily reminisced, and moments from that evening resurfaced into exaggerated imitations of what each had done during the concert.

Momo looks around the room, the tightness that suffocated her had now dissipated, and she was thankful for the reprieve. She had one less problem to worry about, but a new one bubbles to the surface when she remembers that she had not yet spoken to Mina.

Momo’s been stealing glances at the girl since then, but the ballerina’s been too busy talking to Tzuyu and Chaeyoung that she had not noticed Momo’s silent plea to talk. She swallows the food in her mouth and nearly chokes when Jeongyeon starts talking.

“So,” the blue haired girl began, shifting her eyes to look at Momo and Mina, “are we just going to ignore the fact that these two are married now?”

Momo winces because the silence returns, but only for a moment as Jihyo says “To be honest, I really wasn’t expecting that to happen; I’m still shocked, but when I think about it now, you two seem like a good match for each other.”

“Momo unnie, I can’t believe you kept that from us. You’re normally bad at keeping secrets,” Chaeyoung adds, the grin on her face doubles when murmurs of agreement chorus through the living room.

“Sorry, they were really strict about keeping my involvement under wraps,” Momo apologizes; she remembered the contract she had to sign and the clauses she had to adhere to. Frankly, she had felt overwhelmed by the agreement and its stipulations, but found it understandable when she thought of how the show’s return had garnered a lot of attention and any information in relation to it was sensitive. She’s grateful when she sees nods of understanding – the girls were probably recalling lectures they had withstood from spoilers that they had unintentionally disclosed in the past.

“Well now that we know who it is, what do you think of all of this, Mina unnie?” Dahyun asks.

The question directs everyone to look at the quiet girl; Momo catches her eyes and averts them because this isn’t what she wanted – in doing so she fails to see the smile on her face.

This conversation should have been between her and Mina, but they’re sharing it with the rest of the members. Dread creeps its way into her system and she has to nullify it somehow, but Mina’s about to say something so it stays and consumes her.

“I think it’s great that I get to do this with Momo,” she hears her say.

Great…

It doesn’t _entirely_ ease Momo’s discomfort, but it does enough that she can let go of the breath she’s been holding.

She still wants to talk to her, but she guesses she can wait a little longer.

 __________

 

Their celebration ends eventually with some of the girls sleeping in places that weren’t their beds – as far as she knows, Jeongyeon, Jihyo, Mina, and Tzuyu were the only ones capable enough to make it to their rooms.

Momo was just as eager to sleep, but she needed to pack her belongings for tomorrow.

She’s been looking for her coat for awhile now, leaving her room in such a state of disarray that Jeongyeon would most likely kill her, but no amount of force could wake her drunk roommate up to ask where it is so she takes a guess and heads for the basement where the rest of her clothing have been stockpiled from the lack of space in her closet.

As expected, the dorm’s multi-purpose room hosted her missing clothes; she takes a look around deliberating what other items she may need when her eyes land on the couch and a frown forms on her face.

The furniture was a constant reminder of the conversation with Mina that had started it all.

She walks up to it and sits forlornly, they still have not talked about their “marriage”; Momo had tried to make a move to ask Mina for some privacy, but the girl slipped into her room to rest once the party started to die down.

“Momo?”

The soft voice invades the basement and echoes slightly as it settles in her ears.

“Why are you still up?”

Momo laughs lightly at the familiarity of it all – the setting, the words. This was the same memory that was playing so vividly in her mind just a few seconds earlier, and now it was reenacting itself out just as it happened weeks ago, but now it’s Momo on the couch and it’s Mina descending the stairs about to comfort her, and she happily welcomes it because it’s what she’s been wanting all night.

“I just have a lot on my mind,” she responds playfully.

Mina smiles because she knows what she’s doing, “Is it about the show?” They both laugh at the situation as Mina sits beside her and looks at her intently.

“I’m sorry,” Momo sighs sadly.

The sudden apology takes Mina back because she knows Momo doesn’t have anything to apologize for, but she lets her continue.

“I should have told you right when I got the part, or at the very least, when they asked me to come in for the interview,” the older girl looks down, “you looked so dejected when you joined the show that I felt like I needed to help you out in some way, and it kind of just resulted into this.”

Mina reaches for her hand and leans her head on the older Japanese member’s shoulder.

“I meant what I said when the others asked what I thought about you,” she says quietly. While it did come as a shock to learn about Momo’s involvement, she had preferred this outcome to the other scenarios that she had anxiously thought of before the reveal.

Momo’s head shoots up to look at her, “Are we okay then?”

Mina nods her head and asks, “Did you think I was mad at you?”

“Yeah, I wanted to make sure we were on good terms seeing as how we’re married now.” Momo jokes as a genuine smile rests on her face.

She didn’t expect it to be this easy, but having cleared up any misunderstandings between them made her feel light enough to add humor to their conversation.

They stayed like that for a few more minutes talking and wondering what the next day had in store for them, until Mina stands up eventually to get what she initially came down for, and Momo reminds herself to continue packing as well.

Mina follows Momo to her room and departs after wishing her a good night’s rest, but not before the dancer could tease her one last time.

“Good night to you too, Hirai-san.”

A light sigh of exasperation escapes the younger girl, but Momo judges from the blush on her face that she held no ill feelings so she sees her off with a smile and goes to sleep that night much happier than she was earlier.

 __________

 

Daybreak comes and before Mina and Momo realized it, their group members were seeing them off - groggy and hung over from the night before.

“Take care of each other, and Momo, don’t push Mina too much.” Jihyo said, nursing her headache and giving them each a packed lunch for their drive.

Momo smirks, “Yes, _mom_.”

“Unnie, I woke up early to buy these for you two,” Tzuyu yawned, handing Mina a bag of assorted snacks.

“Thanks Tzuyu, we’ll make sure to eat it later.”

“Have fun on your honeymoon!” Sana yelled loudly causing the others around her to grimace in pain - their heads pounding even harder from the sudden noise.

Their manager ushered them into the van and in an hour or so they were transferred into another vehicle along with a camera crew ready to capture their interactions as they headed to their new home.

The mundane drive offered no memorable impressions for Mina; her mind had wandered long before she noticed as she nervously tapped her foot, and had only snapped back to reality when she felt a hand squeeze her knee and she looks at Momo who’s smiling and holding up their lunch.

They eat silently and as soon as they finish the food that was given to them, they arrive at their designated filming location.

“We’ve already set up the cameras in your house. At this point you can do whatever you want, but we’ll send you some cards with suggestions from time to time, so be on the look out for them,” a show writer informs the two.

“If you need anything, we’ll be here,” the woman pointed at the building complex behind her, “monitoring you and making sure all the equipment around the house are functioning. We won’t interact much with you during filming, but we’ll call or drop by to check up on you once in awhile.”

Once all was said and done, the director motioned for Mina and Momo to stand in position, and signaled the cameras to start rolling.

Mina’s heart starts pounding and it takes her a minute to finally say something as Momo and the crew look expectantly at her. She opens her mouth, but it’s Momo’s voice that comes out and she looks at her as their fingers intertwine.

“We’re moving into our new house today,” she says.

Mina musters a smile, “Yeah, it seems we’ll be spending a lot of time here.”

A writer gives Mina a card from off-screen and she reads it aloud, _“Congratulations! It’s important for married couples to have their own place to further establish their relationship so please head to the house you’ll be staying in for the duration of your marriage.”_

Mina meets Momo’s eyes, “Shall we?” she asks shyly.

Momo nods and grabs their suitcases as they walk a bit further to the address written on the card.

They stop when they reach a gate with their address number etched on the side. From the outside, the wood and metallic gate held no remarkable features that set it apart from the others they had passed. Nothing could be seen beyond the foreboding structure – the gate offered no cracks for them to peek through, and a keypad with an intercom and camera was placed nearby on the stonewall that stretched around the property.

Mina punched in the passcode on the keypad, and the gates opened to a long and winding driveway. A sea of grass and bushes bordered the paved road as they walked in with their luggage in tow.

The pathway eventually leads them to their house - a two story building that sat at the far end of the property.

It wasn’t the biggest house they had ever seen, but the coziness and security that emanated from the structure was enough for them to fall in love with it.

The contemporary design of the building was complemented by its architectural use of wood and stone which created a rustic feel, glass windows were placed thoughtfully - bringing in warm sunlight to serve as natural lighting during the day, a chimney peeked out from its rooftop, and the long overhanging roofs provided necessary cover for the most unpredictable weathers.

They climbed the steps of the veranda and opened the wooden front door tentatively. The interior of the house was bigger than they had imagined. The front door opened to a small foyer that had as much space for two people to comfortably move around in, a few more steps and they found themselves in the living room where the fireplace sat against a wall - centralized to warm up the surrounding areas, the glass door panels on the right gave a perfect view and entryway to the lawn outside, the stairs on the left led to the second floor, and a short narrow hallway near the end of the room gave way to a modest kitchen and dining area as well as a bathroom and a small laundry room in the back.

The second floor housed two bedrooms and a bathroom at the end of the hallway; the master bedroom was spacious with a bed fit for two in the middle of the room, its very own bathroom off to the side, and a balcony overlooking the driveway and lawn at the front of the house.

After touring their bedroom, Mina sits down on the bed as Momo lugs their belongings inside.

The ballerina scanned her surroundings, making a mental note of all the cameras - compared to the other parts of the house there weren’t that many in their room. She counts up to three, which was a contrast to the twenty-one downstairs that filled their new home.

The lack of cameramen, writers, and crews of the like eased her. She felt comfortable without the constant bustle of people moving around.

Momo plops herself down unceremoniously on the bed, she felt tired from carrying their things and also blamed the short amount of sleep she had, “What should we do now, Hirai-san?” she asked. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep her eyes open.

The ballerina, who was now partly unfazed by her new nickname – Momo made it a point to say it all the time, shrugged.

“Go ahead and take a nap, I’ll unpack all our stuff.”

The older girl thanks her, and in due time she lets sleep whisk her away.

When she wakes up, the light of the day had long turned into darkness. The empty suitcases in the corner of the room, and the neatly filled closet were proof that Mina had indeed unpacked, so she gets up and stretches and gathers some of her clothes to change. Her counterpart was no longer in the bedroom or anywhere on the second floor, so Momo heads downstairs and calls out her name from the banister.

“Mitang?”

“In the kitchen!” the girl yelled back.

Momo walked to her location, languidly waving at a mounted camera in the hallway.

She froze when she arrived, the sight of food laid out on the counter had paralyzed her – she had not eaten anything since lunch, and upon closer inspection, realized it was one of her favorite dishes.

“This came with it,” Mina waved the greeting card in her hand. Momo sits next to her and takes the card to read it. The inside was embroidered with gold letterings neatly printed to express their blessings, and an all too familiar signature written in black ink perched itself on the bottom.

_“Congratulations on your marriage! From your JYPE family.”_

“Sajangnim even signed it…” Momo trailed off, her amazement left her speechless from the small acknowledgement that came from the same man who had allowed her to join TWICE.

Mina hums, “It’s a good thing he sent jokbal instead of flowers, we’re kind of low on food.”

Guilt courses through Momo, “Why didn’t you wake me up, we could’ve gone out to buy groceries.”

“You seemed really tired, besides I fell asleep too,” Mina said, shaking her head and reassuring Momo.

The older one of the two accepts the excuse, and promises to head out the next day to stock up on essentials.

They eat in a comfortable silence, only exchanging words if necessary. Once their fill had been consumed, they moved to the living room and listed off items to buy; an easy task at first but Momo was constantly going off in a tangent to add things that they didn’t need.

“Can we buy snacks?”

“Tzuyu already gave us a bag full of them.”

“What about a recliner?”

“We can just sit on the couch.”

“We should buy some plants!” she shouted. Mina wasn’t totally against the idea. Although the house came with enough to live a minimalistic lifestyle, the lack of other furnishings and household items made their home feel empty - the bathrooms had no shower curtains, aside from the couch, a few drawers, and a TV, the living room was practically empty, and their kitchen was barren.

Mina sighed, “We don’t have enough money.”

Momo looked up at a nearby camera, “PD-nim, please give us some money,” she pouted. They laugh at their antics and continued to add to their growing list.

When it came time for them to sleep, they retreated lazily to their bedroom and took turns getting ready for the night. Mina eyed the cameras in the room, the small blinking lights that emanated from the devices served as an indicator that they were working properly and recording everything she was doing.

Momo had already climbed into bed while Mina stood transfixed by the cameras. She glances up at them one last time before shyly lifting the covers to lie down next to Momo.

The cameras capture them fighting for the blanket, the cold autumn air had slowly made its way through a half opened window – canvasing the room with the crisp air from outside; but they don’t catch them interlocking their hands under the covers after Momo finally relents and agrees to share.

__________

 

A metallic shopping cart filled to the brim with household items and ingredients wheeled through a nearby supermarket. Mina wove through a crowd of shoppers perplexed by the sight of crewmembers filming her every move. One hand fixed itself on the cart handle while the other held the list of supplies written by her and Momo.

Her partner was nowhere to be seen, she’s probably gallivanting in the snack aisle, Mina thought to herself.

Momo had taken off after they had finished gathering all the items on their list, and Mina was left to look for her when she did not return in fifteen minutes. Her search became frantic when she passed by an aisle of varying bags of chips and candy but no sign of her shorthaired friend. She looked around the aisle and proceeded to call Momo’s phone when she feels hands on her waist and a voice in her ear.

“Hirai-san!”

Mina lets out a yelp and turns around to face Momo, her agitation and the sudden scare had jump start her heart and she could feel her face turning red from embarrassment. She pushed the laughing girl and puffed her cheeks as her eyebrows creased to show slight irritation.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it.” Momo said in between laughter.

“Where have you been?” Mina asks in return.

Momo turned her body to point at the front of the supermarket, “There was a toy vending machine outside that I really wanted to try out.” Mina eyed Momo as the other girl pocketed two capsules in her coat.

Her short length hair was mussed from the wind, her boots clacked softly on the tiled floor as they walked to the checkout counter, and the thin fabric of her clothes clung to her body under the coat Mina had lent her.

 _“You’ll get sick if you’re not careful.”_ Mina had chastised her earlier that day as she gave Momo her coat.

 _“Sorry Mitang, I didn’t think it would be this cold.”_ Momo replied sheepishly, regretting her decision to leave her own coat in the shared closet of their room.

After paying for their items, they walked briskly to a car parked in the busy supermarket lot. Momo unlocked the vehicle as Mina loaded their groceries in the trunk - closing the compartment shut once the bags were securely in place.

She joined Momo inside, climbing into the passenger’s side as the older girl inserted the key in the ignition. With a soft roar of the engine the car came to life - Mina glanced behind her to see the camera crew piling into a van and once they received a signal confirming they were ready, they rode off to return to their abode.

“I still can’t believe you can drive now,” Mina chuckled, remembering the shock she received that morning when Momo had excitedly dangled car keys in her face.

 _“You passed your driver’s test?”_ Mina had asked incredulously.

 _“I’m not a bad driver!”_ Momo retorted.

 _“I know that, it’s just,”_ Mina studied the ID in her hand - Momo had proudly shown it to her when she dragged her to a rented car parked near their home, _“you’ve been wanting to get your license for awhile now, but you’ve never had the time.”_

_“I wanted to be able to take you out without relying on someone to drive us around, so I took the test after I joined We Got Married.”_

The simple confession opened Mina up, making her vulnerable to a feeling that left her unsettled and shaking. She recognized it as the same one she felt when she joined Momo in her bed after returning to the dorm from her first meeting with We Got Married’s show writers.

Everything Momo had done so far had been for her. She had joined the show willingly knowing other opportunities would probably open up during their break, every time Mina’s anxiety would rear its ugly head Momo would comfort her to no end, and despite the fact that they only had to pretend to be married, Momo was putting in a lot of effort to make it all seem real - which surprisingly, Mina did not mind or find awkward. A newfound appreciation blossomed within her and she mentally promised herself to put in as much effort as her partner regardless of how ridiculous the situation was.

True to her word, Mina surprised Momo that night by cooking pasta - a dish she had been craving since the start of TWICE’s tour months ago, and had even bought her a beautiful bonsai plant, which they aptly named, Mimo.

Her efforts carried on to the next day when a card was delivered prompting them to have a picnic in a nearby park. Mina pushed herself to be the first to initiate any contact that she deemed intimate; during their walk to the picnic spot she timidly reached for Momo’s hand which earned her a light squeeze and a bright smile, and while they ate under the shade of a large tree, Mina brushed the other girl’s face to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, as well as pulling the dancer down to rest her head on her lap when it became evident that she had exhausted herself. She almost faltered when the writers caught on to Momo’s habit of calling her by her new nickname, and had asked her to give her one too.

“Just try saying it,” Momo urged, biting her lip to prevent herself from laughing.

“J-jagiya,” Mina stuttered as she buried her face with her hands. She peeked through her fingers to see amused smiles from the crew.

“You’re really cute, Hirai-san.” Momo said in her fits of giggles. She could die from embarrassment, she thought.

And she practically did when she saw Momo rummaging through their picnic basket to take out a box of pepero sticks. The memory of them almost kissing haunted her, and she deduced Momo was probably thinking of it too. Her theory was confirmed when she popped one in her mouth and jokingly said, “Don’t worry, Sana’s not around,” referring to the last member of their Japanese line’s attempt at forcibly pushing their heads together so they could kiss.

Mina was certain her face was as red as the falling leaves around them.

 __________

 

The following week arrived, and with it came the first episode of We Got Married. TWICE’s members hurriedly gathered in the living room to await the premiere of the show - excited to see what became of the couple sitting next to each other on the couch. All week long they had badgered and pestered the two Japanese girls to disclose of activities they had done on the days of filming, but Momo and Mina deflected their eagerness to know and remained mum concerning topics related to the show.

The episode was starting and loud cheers filled the room as Mina brought a pillow closer to her - ready to hide from any moments that she found hard to look at.

The show opened with a short introduction to its concept; and before Mina knew it, she was watching herself on screen. They were showing the process of selection, and Mina watched herself being interviewed by the show writers. She remembered this moment vividly, but was not aware that they had filmed her then; she couldn’t blame herself though for her lack of awareness, it’s not like she had Dahyun’s innate ability to find cameras.

She was thoroughly embarrassed by her answers, and she could feel herself shrinking into the couch when her past self started talking about her relationship with Momo.

“Minari, why didn’t you say the same thing about me? I could’ve been on the show instead of Momo,” Nayeon said, facing her from her seat on the floor.

Momo chuckled as she draped an arm over her shoulders and stuck her tongue out at Nayeon.

“She obviously likes me more, right Mitang?”

The next segment cut to a meeting with We Got Married’s show writers arguing on who to pair Mina with, many suggestions were thrown – from actors to idols, it seemed as if they covered the whole spectrum celebrities.

_“What about a member of GOT7? Jackson, or BamBam?”_

Mina cringed at the name, recalling the fallout she endured after a picture of her and the singer had made headlines. She was glad they didn’t go through with picking him.

 _“I think we should interview this person,”_ a writer pointed at a paper on the table. No effort was made to disclose the identity on the profile, but Mina knew exactly who it was.

After a few more minutes of talking, clips of their concert appeared on screen; her vision blurred ever so slightly as she remembered how nervous she was to meet her partner. She held her breath in anticipation, and studied the faces of her members as they appeared in the dressing room. It seemed as though they were as anxious as she was - Jeongyeon was clinging tightly to Nayeon, Sana and Jihyo kept glancing at the door expectantly, Chaeyoung, Dahyun, and Tzuyu were restlessly fidgeting, and Momo was biting her lip as she intertwined their fingers and finally exposed herself. Mina exhaled in unison with her TV self as she hears herself say, _“I guess we are.”_

 _“I think we should interview this person,”_ repeats itself mysteriously on screen as the living room erupts with cheers and congratulations as the show played footage of Momo’s interview.

The older girl opened the door of the conference room, nervously peeking through before stepping in. She sat in the same place Mina had sat during her interview.

 _“Do you know what this meeting is for?”_ They had asked her from off-screen.

She shook her head - a confused look graced her face as she looked around the room.

 _“This is for We Got Married,”_ they answered bluntly.

Momo’s face was even more bewildered, _“Eh? But Mina -“_

_“She’s still on the show, but now we’re looking for a partner for her.”_

Realization dawned on the girl’s face as her mind worked to piece together a proper response to the situation she was now in.

_“You want me to get married to Mina?”_

_“That depends on a few things. We still have to ask you some questions.”_

Momo nodded for them to continue.

The writer cleared her throat and proceeded to fire a multitude of questions ranging from her ideas on marriage, to plans for the show, and everything in between. There was no hesitation on Momo’s part as she willingly answered. There was no semblance of shame or fear, unlike Mina’s interview. Whatever apprehension she must have felt in that moment receded and the conviction in her responses signified that.

_“How would you describe your relationship with Mina?”_

The girl in question swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat as she took a quick peek at Momo. Momo’s face was expressionless, transfixed by the events unfolding on the screen.

The flickering from the TV directed her attention; Momo sat pensively – putting careful consideration to handle the question with care and honesty.

 _“We’ve known each other for a long time – we’re practically family. What I like about our relationship is that even though we have different personalities, we balance each other out without clashing. We understand one another without needing to say a word, and I really value that because there are times when I find it hard to express myself. She’s there whenever I need her, and I try to be there whenever she needs me,”_ Momo stops and a smile forms on her face, _“Mina’s important to me.”_

There’s a momentary pause before the show writer starts speaking again, _“Having answered all our questions, are you still willing to join We Got Married?”_

Momo let out a lighthearted laugh and answered amusedly, _“I don’t think I would have answered if I wasn’t interested in joining.”_

At this time the show fades to a commercial break; a cough cuts through the silence in the room, and Mina braces herself for the impending reactions of the other members.

“Why don’t you two just date already!” Jeongyeon says in jest as she picks up a pillow and chucks it at Momo.

Chaeyoung pats Mina’s head and laughs, “Mina unnie’s blushing so hard.”

Mina buries her face in her pillow, hiding from the members are they teased her and the older girl sitting beside her.

“You guys are just jealous!” Momo yells back, laughing at their reactions.

Tzuyu hums a firm agreement before dreamily saying, “I want to find someone like Momo unnie.”

The show returns to multiple footages of their time together. Their new house is revealed eliciting various comments about how nice it was, and Mina silently agrees because in the short time she’s spent in it, she’s grown to love their new home.

A hilarious montage of Momo practicing how to drive is also shown, and it was now her turn to blush as she watched herself run over numerous traffic cones in her attempt to reverse park.

Another pillow is thrown at the shorthaired girl as Jihyo worriedly comments; “You better not kill Mina with your driving!”

Coos of “aww’s” escaped from their mouths when their more intimate moments play out – exaggerated and highlighted with cute sounds and bright letters added by the _We Got Married_ editors. The cameras had caught many moments between them – an unconscious Mina snuggling closer to Momo during one of the colder nights, Momo enthusiastically eating the food Mina prepared for her, their picnic date at the park, and Mina’s failed attempts at finding a suitable term of endearment for Momo.

The episode ends eventually, and it leaves the members reeling for more, but Momo promises them it was just the beginning, as she and Mina would soon leave again to film for the next episode.

The premiere left Mina feeling blissful and contemplative of all the events that have happened. In spite of her initial fear and lack of confidence, the show had brought forth a side of her that she was not aware of. Having Momo do this with her was a blessing she so thankfully welcomed, and the thought of someone else taking the older girl’s place made her stomach lurch in the most sickening way– would they have taken the time to understand her as much as Momo had? Would they have been as patient as her? She may never truly know, but despite the missed opportunity, she was still happy; and a look around the room made that feeling swell more when her eyes land on Momo talking animatedly with Sana and Dahyun.

Momo notices her gaze and smiles warmly at her.

“Are you ready to leave?” Momo asks her. Her prior conversation had now ended; she stands up and offers Mina her hand.

Mina takes it and nods, “I can’t wait to see Mimo.” Momo laughs at the mention of their plant.

Maybe this virtual marriage wasn’t as bad as she initially thought it would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the love and support! You've all been so supportive of this story, and I always look forward to reading your comments. I hope you all stick around for the ride! :)


	3. Three Dates and Gachapon Rings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Psst. Here's a new chapter :)

Mina sat idly on the wide bed of her and Momo’s bedroom, flipping through a magazine she had bought on their most recent grocery trip. She wasn’t the type of person to read tabloids – her self-consciousness disallowed her from reading anything negative about her, but an article about the show had been featured, and she was highly urged to read it. She had gone through numerous pages in the time she spent reading – a new pasta recipe had caught her eye, a dating scandal involving two idols, and a rumored revival of dance competition show. Her perusal eventually rewarded her with the knowledge of the public’s positive reactions to her “marriage.” Viewership and ratings have been consistently high and it seems many have taken a liking to the couple - something she was internally delighted about but was too shy to admit. It’s been weeks since _We Got Married_ had started, and she’s grown somewhat accustomed to the nature of the show. The random cue cards, the blush inducing moments between her and the older girl – they still get to her, but she’s able to react much faster than before without needing to hide from embarrassment every so often they occurred. 

A cool breeze from outside enters through their open windows, ruffling the pages of her magazine. Autumn had arrived with a full frontal chilliness that made even the sunniest days as cold as ice; and winter was swiftly encroaching behind it, soon to bring with it an unforgiving blanket of snow. But the world around them was still covered in a colorful array of red and orange hues. Every step they took outside left the familiar sound of crunching leaves, and Mina swears to herself that she can smell the distinct aroma of hot chocolate wafting in the air wherever they go – she _loves_ this time of the year. 

An arm snakes its way around her waist, drawing its owner closer to the girl. 

“Too cold...” she hears a voice mumble. She doesn’t need to question who it was that broke the silence of their room as she looks down next to her and sees Momo’s sleeping figure.

The older girl had convinced Mina to take a nap with her after grocery shopping, and Mina was more than happy to comply. It was only the afternoon, but they had done so much in the short amount of time they had been there – a series of chores around the house, a walk in the park, and grocery shopping had left her worn out; and when it was evident that they would not be receiving a card any time soon, she quickly found herself wrapped up in a blanket ready to let sleep whisk her away.

Mina places her magazine down and pries Momo off of her. “I was just going to close the windows,” she says softly when the older girl let out a disapproving whine. The lack of warmth from the thick blankets and the sleeping figure left her exposed to the coldness lingering in the room; she pads her way to the windows, shuts them tight, and shivers when a final gust of wind sneaks its way in. 

She would have gladly joined Momo again, but the sound of the doorbell echoes throughout the house so she walks downstairs to their living room instead. She jumps the last step and crosses the small room, stopping at a nearby wall. She eyes the doorbell security monitor attached to the wall; strangely enough, in the time they’ve spent in their home they have never needed to use the house’s security feature. The possibility of receiving unwanted visitors was greatly reduced as the show vetted anyone who came within the vicinity of their house, and the crew members made no use of the doorbell as well - they moved freely around their home when dropping off cue cards or filming in areas where more camera coverage was needed, but they were done in inconspicuous ways so as not to disturb the couple. 

Mina warily presses a button on the monitor, the screen remained black, but subtle movements on the other end resulted in sunlight peeking through what seemed like a hand, reassuring her that the security camera outside the gates wasn’t broken. Whoever was outside, was intent on keeping their identity a secret.

 _“Hello?”_ She hears a voice say through the monitor’s intercom. The hesitation in their mellow voice and the accent similar to Mina’s implied they were still learning the local language.

“Hi, who is this?” She answers back tentatively, unconsciously mirroring the disjointed intonation of the speaker, unsure if she should even be communicating with them.

 _“Unnie, open the gates! We’re freezing out here!”_ A second voice calls out followed by a third that sounded more distant and muffled - she couldn’t understand what they were saying but it seemed like they were shouting in agreement to the previous statement. Despite the static from the monitor, their accents sounded more natural in her ears.

Mina’s phone rang loudly, breaking her out of her daze; she fishes it out of her pocket and unlocks the device. 

 _“You have guests waiting for you, please let them in.”_ The text was concisely put.

She looks up at one of the cameras in the corner of the living room; the show writers must have been watching her and promptly instructed her to continue when they realized her bout of hesitation. Mina did as she was told, and presses another button on the screen prompting the gates outside to open up. If this was all part of the show then she has nothing to worry about – right?

She grabs a coat strewn carelessly on the couch and steps her feet into warm slippers as she opens the front door to welcome whoever had come to visit. She breathes a sigh of relief when three familiar figures come into view.

Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu bound a corner of the property’s long driveway, kicking up fallen leaves as they run and frantically wave at Mina. Their steps were heavy as they trudged through debris of twigs and leaves–their thick coats adding to their weight and slowing them down immensely. The older girl laughs at the sight of the three youngest girls in their group, she was as excited to see them, as they were to see her.

“Mina unnie!” Tzuyu yells, she was the first to arrive at Mina’s spot, her long legs serving as an advantage in the race the three had conducted on their way to her. Mina hugs the taller girl, and the group hug was soon complete when Dahyun and Chaeyoung join in after finally catching up to her.

Mina ushers them inside the house, the shivering bodies of the three younger girls were indicative of the bitter coldness they had endured while waiting for her. She rushes to the kitchen to get them something warm to drink and returns to see them huddling closely on the small living room couch. She smiles apologetically as she hands them each a mug of instant hot chocolate.

“Why are you three here?” Mina looks at the three girls.

Tzuyu sips from her mug, a content sigh erupts from her lips as the drink rushes through her, and brings back the warmth she had lost. “We came to visit you and Momo unnie,” she says proudly, a wide smile creeps its way onto her face and settles there when she takes a longer sip.

Dahyun chimes in, studying the interior of the house and waving at a mounted camera before facing Mina, “The writers asked the group if anyone wanted to come and hang out. The others really wanted to come, but we were the only ones with a free schedule.”

“We’ll be your kids for today,” Chaeyoung grins jokingly as she set her empty mug down on the coffee table in front of her, “we even brought extra clothes so we can sleep over,” she points at the bags thrown casually in front of them.

Mina had only now noticed the bags on the floor lying next to their owner’s feet. She had not anticipated the sudden intrusion to her quiet afternoon, but nevertheless, she was happy to see her group mates in a different setting away from their dorm. Alone, there were infinite possibilities to expect when it came to this particular trio, but they were now her and Momo’s responsibility, and she was undoubtedly unsure of how to handle what was to come from their visit. 

Mina nodded, “There’s another bedroom upstairs, you can all sleep there tonight. Momo and I can set up the room to accommodate the three of you.”

“Speaking of which, where is Momo unnie?” Dahyun looks around, her eyes spot many things in the small living room - the bonsai plant sitting quietly on a window sill, multiple cameras aiming at different angles, various decorations that the couple had bought on their shopping trips, and even the congratulatory card from their company sat comfortably on the small fireplace mantel, but none were the girl in question. 

“She’s probably still sleeping,” Mina glances at the stairs, she wasn’t surprised Momo hadn’t woken up from all the noise they’ve been making; the girl would choose to sleep through anything if given the choice.

Mina doesn’t miss the mischievous glint in Dahyun’s eyes, nor the smile splayed on Chaeyoung’s face, and she certainly wasn’t deaf because she hears Tzuyu say, “Should we wake her up?”

Mina chuckles, regardless of their age, they were still young at heart so she plays along with them; “She’s upstairs, the first door you see when you go up.” Momo’s been sleeping for a few hours anyhow and they needed to wake her up to start whatever shenanigans the three girls brought along with them.

The group gathers their belongings and walks up the stairs as Mina scoops up their now empty mugs and makes her way to the kitchen. She looks up at the retreating figures one last time and stifles a laugh; as inaudible as they tried to make themselves out to be, the harsh whispers and giggles exchanged between them could likely wake anyone up.

__________ 

 

Dahyun opens the first door she comes across and sees the oldest Japanese member laying lazily on the bed. The blanket had been kicked off her body and was resting haphazardly by her feet, a pillow was wrapped in her arms, and there was a faint murmur followed by soft breathing that filled the quiet room.

“What do we do?” The youngest one asks.

Chaeyoung grabs Dahyun’s arm and drags her towards the bed, “Unnie, go lie down next to her.”

“What? Momo unnie might kill me,” Dahyun grumbles, but did what she was told and climbed on the bed. She pulls the forgotten blanket over them and carefully removes the pillow the older girl attached herself to and replaces it with her body.

“Momo unnie-“ Dahyun whispers in Momo’s ear, “wake up.” She repeats her words but garners no response from the unconscious girl.

The two remaining girls sat themselves down on the bed and watched amusedly as Dahyun failed to wake up Momo.

“Try doing the morning wake up call you did on Nayeon unnie,” Tzuyu suggests, the pale girl nods in agreement after choking back her laughter.

“Jagiya-“ she says, stressing each syllable in the most exaggerated way possible, “it’s time to wake up.” Dahyun rubs Momo’s arms but the action drew fruitless results as Momo continued to sleep.

“Mina...” the sleeping girl mumbles, pulling Dahyun closer to her. The three cover their mouths to prevent the laughter they’ve been holding from escaping.

When it became obvious that their soft encouragements for her to wake up were instead lulling the girl deeper into her slumber, Dahyun motioned Chaeyoung to try a different approach.

The shortest of the bunch picks up the pillow Dahyun had tossed and strikes Momo squarely in the face.

“Ouch, Mina-“ 

The sudden force jolts her awake in a series of groans and complaints, she removes the pillow on her face and rubs an eye groggily.

Momo was puzzled by the sight of Chaeyoung and Tzuyu who had now toppled over on the floor, laughing at her dismay, but even more so Dahyun who was still on the bed with her.

“You’re not Mina,” Momo frowns, letting go of the laughing girl. 

As if on cue, a soft voice calls from the doorway, “Did she wake up?” 

Mina stood by the doorway and walks towards the group when she sees what had become of their antics. She sits on the bed and grins at Momo, “Sorry about that,” she says, fixing the older girl’s messy hair.

Chaeyoung and Tzuyu compose themselves and join the others on the bed, “You should have seen Momo unnie,” Chaeyoung wraps her arms around Tzuyu and pulls her down, “Mina…” the shorter girl puckers her lips and leans toward the taller one.

“Hey! I didn’t do that-“ Momo throws a pillow at the two, not thoroughly unfazed by the reenactment, “did I?”

The same couldn’t be said about Mina - a bright blush on her cheeks appearing from the prospect of Momo possibly doing what Chaeyoung was graphically displaying.

“O-Okay, I think that’s enough,” she abruptly stops Chaeyoung from riling up Momo even further - the older girl was just about ready to launch another pillow in their direction, and Mina was finding it hard to concentrate as well.

“Now that Momo’s awake, what do you all want to do, we didn’t really expect any visitors today so we don’t have anything planned.”

“What exactly are you all doing here anyways?” Momo crosses her arms and leans against the headboard, eyeing the group on the bed. She turns her attention to Mina who shrugs in response.

Dahyun hugs Momo tightly and nuzzles her face on her shoulder, “We missed you.”

“We just saw you last night,” the oldest girl retorts, she reaches up and pinches Dahyun’s soft cheek.

“We came to hang out,” Chaeyoung adds casually.

“Actually, we have a mission to carry out,” Mina and Momo stare at Tzuyu, she sits upright - posture as straight as a needle, and looks between Chaeyoung and Dahyun, spoiling their game of teasing the older girls.

“Do they want us to babysit you?” Momo laughs as they shake their heads vehemently and pout. The difference in their ages weren’t much, but the members coddled the younger ones so much to the point where they might as well be children that her question wouldn’t be far from possible.

“To be precise, we’re here to spice up your relationship,” Tzuyu stands up and moves to her backpack, rummaging through it.

Chaeyoung speaks up, linking an arm with Mina, “Head writer oppa’s words, not ours.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Momo raises an eyebrow, curiosity lacing her voice - was their something wrong with their “marriage”?

Tzuyu returns to the bed with an envelop in her hand, she passes it to Mina who removes the contents. She already knows what it is - the sleek paper, the neatly written words, and the title of the show printed on the back; they’ve been receiving similar cards since filming had started and this one was no different than the others that came before it.

She reads the cue card out loud, “Relationships can turn stagnant out of comfort and casualness; rediscover what makes you a couple with the help of the people closest to you.”

Stagnant...

Unmoving...

Flat...

Dull...

_Boring..._

Mina disliked that word; it was one she was closely associated with among the non-fan populace. The other TWICE members do their best to assuage her whenever the topic arises, and she knows not to let it get to her, but she also understands that her timid nature could be misconstrued into her being monotonous and it grinds her nerves, leaving her brooding in her self-pity because she knows she can be far from boring. But here she was analyzing the paper and questioning why, of all the missions they could have been given, the one in her hands had to unintentionally affect her on a personal level.

She spares a quick glance at Momo, and returns her gaze to the card when she sees her talking to the rest of the girls. 

Their relationship needs work. In the eyes of those who watch the show they’ve probably made no remarkable progress as a couple. She only has herself to blame though, they have a lot of creative freedom to do whatever they please and Momo takes advantage of that as much as possible, but Mina has never planned or taken a leap to do things for her, and it was gnawing at her that her insufficiency was a confirmation of what people thought she was really like, whereas Momo was the opposite.

Momo has been really thoughtful.

Momo got her driver’s license just for her.

Momo was spontaneous but she also planned things for them to do.

Momo exerted herself to the point of exhaustion to keep this show going so Mina wouldn’t have to.

Momo-

“Mitang,” she feels a hand cover hers, “the maknaes want to have a barbecue later so we need to go back to the supermarket to buy more supplies.” They look at her expectantly, Momo more so than the others.

Of course, they had only bought enough to last them their stay, there was no way the contents of their pantry and refrigerator would be able suffice the hunger of five people.

She musters a weak nod and utters a “Yeah. Sure,” she feels the bed spring and bounce and then relax as most of the weight it held disappears instantly. The younger ones cheer loudly and run downstairs, leaving behind a trail of faded footsteps and echoing voices.

“Great! I’ll go start the car,” she’s pulled to her feet, her hand still in Momo’s until her Japanese compatriot lets go.

Mina somberly makes her way down, grabs her coat and Momo’s, and exits the house to the car parked nearby.

“You forgot your coat again,” she says as she enters the passenger’s side, handing the clothing over to the girl buckling her seatbelt.

“Oh, right. Thanks!” Momo clicks her belt in place, fumbles with the car key, and looks up at her when she finally inserts it in the ignition. She smiles goofily at Mina, and the girl laughs lightly in return – it was just like her to forego any sense of responsibility at the mere thought of food.

__________ 

 

To say their shopping basket was brimming would be an understatement; it was overflowing and practically spilling out on the newly mopped supermarket floor. There were stacks of different cuts of meat next to vegetables, which were in turn lying on bags of chips and a variety of condiments that they had all picked out. The cameramen that accompanied them looked on with shock faces whenever a new item was dumped in the basket – how could this lithe group of girls consume this amount of food, they probably thought to themselves.

Mina’s adamant on buying only what’s needed for tonight and tomorrow, but with the younger ones zipping through every aisle like kids in a candy store and Momo following closely behind, they easily outnumber her and she loses any semblance of authority.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to eat everything we buy,” Momo shifts the basket to hold with her other hand as she drapes her free arm over Mina’s shoulders.

“Fine,” Mina relents with a heavy sigh, grabbing a chocolate bar from one of the shelves in the snack aisle, “I might as well get something for myself then.” 

Momo laughs, “Sure thing, I’ll even pay for it.”

“Chaeng, Momo unnie said she’ll pay for everything!” Dahyun yells from the end of the aisle.

“Really?!” The younger one peeks her head to look at them, “Tzuyu, get more ramen!”

Momo halts and panics, “W-Wait!” she yells at them and sighs when they ignore her, “I should stop them before they buy out the entire store.” She grumbles, retracting her arm from its place on Mina’s shoulder, “I don’t think my wallet can handle it.”

Mina giggles, pushing Momo lightly to find the rest of their friends.

“I’ll wait for you outside,” she says softly to the retreating girl, unsure if Momo even heard her - she does; and once she sees her partner nod, she walks towards the front of the supermarket, and exits out of the automatic doors with a lone cameraman. 

The cold hits Mina immediately – she has to brace herself for a few seconds to regulate her body from the warmth of the store to the nipping temperature of the outside world. She takes a deep breath, scans her surroundings, and jogs briskly to the coffee shop across the street.

She enters the brick and mortar store - the inside was quaint. Chairs and tables filled the small shop, potted plants were hung here and there, and paintings were scattered on the walls completing the cozy atmosphere - Mina and Momo liked coming here after their grocery trips, the shop’s pastries were delectable and their assortment of hot beverages were heavenly in this weather.

“The usual?” The barista asks from the counter; Mina smiles at her - their visits earned them the right to be called loyal customers.

“Yes,” she replies courteously.

“Two?”

“Five,” Mina corrects, “our friends came to visit,” she says with a kind smile.

The barista nods and punches in her order as Mina digs into her coat pocket for her wallet. She stiffens when her fingers brush against cold, hard plastic, but withholds from fishing it out to pay for the drinks.

“Please have a seat while I tend to your order,” she hears the barista say after she hands back her change.

Mina pulls out a wooden chair from a nearby table and sits down, once situated she stuffs a hand in her pocket - feeling out the foreign item that had found its way in there. 

There were two of them; they felt smooth to the touch and round in shape, and when she pulls them out, she recognizes the familiar objects. They were unmistakable. She’s come across many of these and admits to herself that she’s spent a good chunk of her parents’ pocket change trying to collect as many as she could as a kid. The items inside always varied, but the ones encapsulated within the pods in her hands were things that were never part of her collection. They glint faintly under the fluorescent lights, and any movement had the objects rattling in their case. 

She searches through her mind for the memory of Momo pocketing them on their first outing together. The older girl had borrowed her coat and made off to go elsewhere while Mina shopped and looked for her.

She wonders why she got two, they were both identical afterall; the only noticeable difference she spots were the caps - one was purple and the other one was pink, and she’s certain Momo wasn’t frivolous enough to waste her money because she got a color that wasn’t her favorite. Mina guesses one was meant for her, but decides against it when she realizes that Momo could’ve given it to her back then but didn’t.

The sound of a bell ringing catches her attention and she turns her head to look at the counter. The barista was now finished and was waving for her to come over. 

Mina quickly returns the objects to her pocket and saunters over to the girl.

“Here are your drinks,” she gives Mina a cup holder full of hot drinks.

“Thank you-,” Mina returns.

“I figured you’d be here,” Mina snaps her head to look at the door to see Momo closing it gently.

“The maknaes are loading up the groceries so we’ll be leaving soon.”

Mina hands her one of the drinks and Momo smiles thankfully, “Okay, I was just about to leave.”

The barista interrupts them before they could exit, “Wait, these are for you as well,” she hands Mina a paper bag with the coffee shop’s logo on the front.

Mina looks questioningly at her, “I didn’t order this-“

“They’re complimentary. I wanted to thank you for your continued patronage,” she offers the bag again.

Mina looks at Momo who shrugs, then returns to face the girl behind the counter, and takes the bag from her, “Thanks again,” she says politely.

Mina waves one last time before they leave, and when the door shuts close behind her she hears Momo ask, “Should I be worried, Hirai-san?”

Mina snorts at the teasing implication of her question.

“Maybe,” She fires back in jest. “More admirers might come along to lavish me with presents.”  

Momo quirks an eyebrow at her as they cross the street, “As long as you share your presents, then I think we’ll be fine,” she says jokingly.

“At the end of the day you’re still married to me, and I know you’d never do anything so I guess I really don’t have anything to worry about,” she finishes off nonchalantly, adding a wink for emphasis as they close in on the car.

“Momo unnie, we’re freezing our butts off. Can you flirt with Mina unnie when we’re not outside in the cold?” They should be used to Tzuyu bluntness, and they normally are, but her words take them aback so they hurriedly enter the vehicle before the youngest member could do anything irrational.

__________ 

 

The sun was setting when they pulled up to the house. Mina and Momo’s trio of friends had wanted to drive around for a little longer while they were out, and Momo couldn’t refuse their pleading eyes - it costed them a few more minutes on the road, but it was worth it to see them happily smiling in the rear view mirror as she drove by the coast.

“Chaeyoung, Tzuyu, and I will prepare the food while you and Dahyun can start the bonfire,” Mina instructs the group lugging bags of food in the house.

Momo sets a bag of vegetables down on their kitchen counter and nods, not at all upset by the divided teams. She’s well aware that she and Dahyun weren’t particularly skilled when it came to cooking and would rather leave the task to more capable hands. She would rather do some minor manual labor than fix up a burnt kitchen, she thinks to herself.

“We’ll leave these to you then,” Momo gestures to the pile of food as she grabs the pale girl and guides her outside.

They stumble around in the dark until the sensors detect them and the automatic lights turn on, illuminating the area behind the house. It takes them awhile to set up everything - Momo blames it on their lack of outdoorsy skills, and between carrying heavy supplies and trying to figure out how to start a fire, they were both mentally and physically drained, but once they successfully ignite a small flame on a twig which turns into a roaring fire on the pile of logs, they found themselves renewed with energy.

“Momo unnie,” Dahyun calls, effortlessly arranging beach chairs around the bonfire, “do you like being married?”

Momo was busily tending to a portable stove on a folding table near the other girl but stops when she hears her; she turns around to look at the girl now sitting on one of the chairs, “Hmm-“ she stops to think, “yeah, I do,” she says after a minute of silence with a smile on her face.

“What do you like about it?” Dahyun asks curiously. She picks up a stray twig and pokes the fire in front of her.

“I like how easy it’s been, which is a weird thing to say considering how marriage is much more complicated than this,” Momo walks up to her and plops down on a chair, “but since I’m married to Mina, and we’re alike in many ways, sometimes I feel like I don’t really have to put in a lot of effort.”

“But you _do_ put in a lot of effort,” the pale girl retorts. “We say this a lot when you two aren’t around,” she says, referring to the other members, “we think this show has changed you two.”

Momo tilts her head questioningly – silently requesting for Dahyun to continue.

“Before you did the show you were always the one being led around by the others, but now it’s you doing the leading,” she elaborates, “and Mina unnie’s much more open now too – she used to be so reserved.”

“I just want to make her comfortable with herself and us,” Momo leans back on her chair and stares at the fire, “besides, I don’t really mind doing all of this.”

She brings her head up to look at the cameras around her; she admits that she’s done her fair share of appearances on variety shows and the like, but none were as daunting as the one she was currently on. She was more than willing to join, but her eagerness didn’t mean she wasn’t at all scared. But she cared deeply for Mina and loved her unconditionally that she swallowed all her inhibitions to be there for the younger girl in a time when she needed a familiar figure the most.

“All the dates you two go on look really fun, don’t you ever run out of ideas?” the younger girl probes.

“Sometimes,” Momo chuckles, “but then I think of what Mina likes, and I just go from there,” she says, remembering their most recent one – Momo took Mina to an arcade and shamefully admitted an ironic defeat when the ballerina beat the dancer senseless during a round on one of the arcade’s Dance Dance Revolution machines.

“Momo unnie! Dahyun unnie!” Tzuyu shouts from behind them, they turn to see the rest of their friends juggling an exorbitant amount of food in their hands. They stand and meet them halfway to help, and after setting the food down on the table, Momo and Dahyun inspect what all of their time had been spent on.

“I made the kimbap,” Tzuyu points at a plate of neatly made rolls.

“It’s really cold tonight, so I made some ramen,” Chaeyoung says with a smile, nodding her head at a of pot noodles.

They go on a long-winded train of arduously explaining all of the dishes laid out on the table - Momo’s starving but she lets them talk because she knows they worked hard making all food they were going to unceremoniously devour.

When they’re done talking they fill up their plates and sit by the fire, standing up occasionally to grill meat or replenish whatever they were low on.

They talk amongst themselves; their conversations ranging from what everyone has been up to, what they want to do, and everything in between until the topic shifts to their plans for tomorrow.

“By the way,” Momo says through a mouthful of the lettuce wrap that Mina made for her, “what are we going to do about the mission?”

Tzuyu clears her throat; “We decided that we,” she exchanges knowing glances with Dahyun and Chaeyoung, “are going to plan a date for you two.”

“But we already go on dates,” Mina utters quietly.

“Yeah,” Momo sounds off an agreement, “how’s it going to be any different than the ones we go on?” 

“Well-“ Chaeyoung prolongs, “Momo unnie plans all of the dates,” Mina winces at truth of her words, “and they’re nice and all, but we think it would be fun if you did something you wouldn’t normally do.”

“We thought it would be cool for you to go on _our_ ideal dates,” Dahyun adds excitedly.

Mina and Momo share worried glances, unsure of what to expect; it takes some reassuring from the three that nothing will go wrong, but Mina and Momo remain skeptical so they let the younger girls do their best to talk them into it until they finally agree.

Their evening continues in a blur of food, crackling flames, and laughter until the night’s temperature becomes too unbearable. They end their little party prematurely and instead of opting to continue it inside, they decide to head to bed knowing another busy day was ahead of them.

“Sana looks like she’s having fun,” Momo looks at the phone in her hands dejectedly and turns to lie on her side – back facing Mina.

The other girl looks over her shoulder and hums an agreement; “She sent me a picture earlier of her and her mom at an onsen.”

“She even asked if I wanted anything from Osaka.”

Sana had left for Japan a few days ago to visit her family, leaving Momo and Mina to see her off sadly. They had wanted to go with her, but their schedules didn’t allow them any leeway to do so; they were the only remaining members of TWICE that did not have a proper chance at a real break after their tour, and they were anxious to jump at any opportunity to go on one.

“Whatever,” Momo puts her phone down on the nightstand with mild indignation; she turns around and looks at Mina, “we can just treat this as a mini-vacation, right?”

“We can still do a lot of things; do you want to go on a date again? I can plan another one if you want.”

There she goes again, Mina thinks to herself. She had caught the tail end of Momo and Dahyun’s conversation before dinner, and as happy as she was to have the older girl think of her, she was also upset with herself for her lack of trying. Momo had put Mina first in their relationship, but could Mina say the same about her?

You need to try harder; she lectures herself sternly.

“Actually, how about we do something that you want to do.” Good start, Mina.

“Me?” Momo tucks herself under the blanket, a pensive expression on her face.

“Would I be asking too much if I say that I want to go on vacation?”

Mina laughs at their shared sentiment, “I want to go on one too.”

“Where would you like to go?”

“Somewhere warm. Maybe a tropical island,” Momo says dreamily, “or back to Japan.”

“I miss my family…”

She makes a mental note of Momo’s answers, watching the girl as she yawns and closes her eyes. Mina’s not far behind; she turns off the lights and sets an alarm before finally moving closer to Momo, whispering a gentle, “Good night,” to the unconscious girl as sleep comes around to consume her.

__________ 

 

This date was not going well, at least on Momo’s end, Mina seems like she was enjoying herself through the entirety of it all.

They start off the date with Chaeyoung.

“Lately, I’ve been really into recreational activities!” the young girl bounces from her place in the car excitedly, “more specifically, the types that really get your heart pumping.”

“You’re not going to take us skydiving are you?” Momo asks worriedly, she stares at Chaeyoung through the rear view mirror, silently begging for anything but that.

“Nope, we’re just going to go go-kart racing,” a round of “oohs” break forth from everyone’s mouth except Momo’s. The activity had nothing to do with heights, but she felt fear bubble within at the thought of what other things the younger girls will likely put her through.

They arrive at the racetrack to see a multitude of high-powered vehicles zipping through the serpentine-like asphalt. It was difficult for Momo to concentrate. The smell of rubber and gas infiltrates her nose, making her nauseous, the sun was sweltering and her exposed skin felt sensitive from the heat, to make matters worse they’re made to wear race suits and helmets – she’s baking inside of her outfit, and to top it all off, the sound of the karts distract her from the crash course explanation their given, so when Chaeyoung proposes a race, she has no idea how to operate her kart and she starts an agonizingly long minute after the others.

Mina wins easily – her competitive nature overtaking her meek and submissive side.

When Chaeyoung, Tzuyu, and Dahyun cross the line, the race turns into a bet; more specifically, a bet to see how long it would take for Momo to finish.

“She’s not that far away, so I say,” Mina looks at Momo and calculates, “roughly ten minutes.”

“I’ll go with fifteen,” Dahyun chuckles.

“Eighteen, she keeps on braking,” Tzuyu says as she wipes the sweat on her forehead.

“I’m not going to underestimate Momo unnie’s ability to be as slow as a turtle, so I’m going to say,” Chaeyoung stares out onto the track, “twenty minutes.”

They count seven minutes when Momo crosses the finish line; but they agree that she would have taken much longer if she hadn’t accidentally stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brakes in a state of surprise when a loud announcement ruptured from the circuit’s speakers.

They had watched with a mixture of awe and panic when the slow girl suddenly came to life, screaming and zooming past them until coming to a full stop, limply getting out of the machine and walking towards them, looking like all life had been sucked out of her in the minutes that it all transpired.

“I still say I could have beat Mina unnie if I didn’t get stuck behind Momo’s unnie five miles per hour kart,” Tzuyu claims indignantly from the front with Chaeyoung and Dahyun.

“I was driving faster than that... It was ten miles per hour!” Momo half barks and whines, walking behind them.

Mina links and arm with Momo, “I take it we won’t be doing any more recreational activities in the future?”

“Just the ones that require me to go fast,” Momo replies with a pout, earning a giggle from Mina.

“What do you think of canoeing then?” Mina suggests.

“Maybe,” Momo opens her mouth, “but you’ll have to save me if I end up drowning.” Momo smiles when she elicits another giggle from Mina.

“Don’t worry unnie, I think the next date will be more up your alley,” Dahyun tells them as they walk back to their car.

__________ 

 

Their next stop was a pastry shop.

A bell tinkles from above the door as they enter noisily.

A middle-aged woman in chef’s whites greets them, the corner of her eyes crinkling as she smiles – the niceness of it reflects the same sweetness that could be found in the foodstuffs of her shop.

“I’m liking this already Dubu,” Momo brings up a hand to pinch Dahyun’s cheek as she eyes the assortment of cakes behind the store’s counter.

“Are you here for the workshop?” The kind woman asks.

Dahyun removes Momo’s hand from her face and nods politely, rubbing her sore cheek.

“Right this way,” she gestures to a door at the back of the room.

“Workshop?” Momo reiterates, disappointment evident in her voice when she realizes that they wouldn’t be eating.

“Yup!” Dahyun chirps, laughing at Momo’s frown, “I’m not good at cooking so I thought it would be nice to take my significant other out on a date where we could just decorate pre-made food.”

They’re led to another room where round cakes of the same size, frosting of varying colors, and different decorating tools were laid out on a large marble table.

They’re given a short introduction to the class, and once everything was explained, they’re given the freedom to proceed. They each grab a cake and start on their personalized dessert.

Momo was quick to proclaim her enjoyment, even praising Dahyun for her idea as she licks some pink frosting from her fingers, but frowns deeply when the chef returns to give them each a bowl. Momo looks at the small basin in her hands and scowls when she spots a large quantity of melons mingling with some berries.

“We’ll be using fruits today to decorate,” she hears the woman say cheerily.

Mina notices her partner’s glares and laughs at her attempts to disintegrate the pesky fruits from existence. She grabs the bowl from Momo and removes the melons to replace them with the berries from hers. Momo smiles at her as she returns the bowl, now free of the fruit she’s grown to hate so much.

All goes well when they resume the task at hand, and Momo finishes with just enough time to place the last remaining strawberry on her cake before a timer rings, signaling the end of their decorating class.

She’s happy with the results, and even garners a compliment from the chef when she inspects their work, but her frown returns tenfold when the good-natured woman interrupts her photo session with her cake to say, “Thank you all for coming! I hope you enjoyed your time here. You’ve all made such wonderful designs and I’m sure your significant other will be thrilled to be receiving the cake you made for them.”

“What?” Momo was exceptionally confused.

“We’ve reached the end of our class, and at this time, it’s customary to exchange your cake with your significant other,” the woman smiles at them sweetly.

Momo picks up her cake regretfully – it was minimalist at best, but with a thorough look, one could see how much thought was put into the arrangement of the fruits up top; she faces Mina, her cake already in hand – an in-depth inspection wasn’t needed to see that hers was beautifully done, she made good use of the piping tips and different frostings to execute a stunning gradient of light green, but Momo almost gags when her eyes meet what _she_ thinks is a horrifyingly unneeded amount of melons, dotting the landscape of the dessert.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you’d be getting mine,” Mina apologizes, giggling when she passes her cake to Momo and the girl visibly cringes.

Momo shakes her head, “It’s fine, Mitang. I can eat around _them_ ,” she looks disdainfully at the offending fruits and sighs. She shoots a glare at Dahyun as the pale girl laughs nervously, and hides behind an unsuspecting Tzuyu.

__________ 

 

Momo almost jumped for joy when she realized Tzuyu was the only hurdle left to leap over after the disastrous dates that she ungracefully rammed through.

In all her youthful innocence, the young girl spoke, when asked about her plans, about wanting nothing more than to bring them to a jewelry store to shop for matching rings.

It was straightforward, harmless, and devoid of anything that could provoke Momo – it was easily her favorite date out of the three.

She and Mina spent their time carefully picking out the perfect rings; they perused through catalogues, and tried on many with varying designs and gemstones until happily agreeing on one.

The ring itself was simple – a white gold band free of any outstanding features, with the exception of both of their initials etched on the inside; but Momo loves it for that because she knows Mina has one just like hers with their initials on it too. She smiles at the thought and looks at Mina who laughs happily as she slips her ring on her left ring finger – Momo blushes, discreetly removing the ring on her right hand to place it on her left, and her smile grows wider when Mina shows it off to Tzuyu.

She has to remember to thank her, Dahyun, and Chaeyoung later because despite what they made her go through, it was all worth it to see Mina smiling.

And maybe that was the reason for her sleepless nights at the dorm, planning the perfect dates to go on; it was because of Mina’s smiles, her giggles, her handholding, her arm linking, her blushes, _her_ _happiness_ – they were all worth it, and Momo was addicted.

“Hey,” she calls out to them.

She should be worried about her newfound addiction, but she brushes it off when she looks around and sees her friends smiling.

“Why don’t we all end the day the day by going out to eat,” she laughs when they cheer and an onslaught of suggestions invade her ears.

She should be worried when her heart quickens as Mina takes her hand and intertwines their fingers; but she’s not because Mina squeezes her hand, and she feels the cold ring on the other girl’s finger pressing on her warm skin, and she’s happy that it’s there.

“What do you want to eat?” She hears Mina ask through the barrage of laughter coming from behind them.

She should be worried about a lot of things, but right now she just wants to relish in this moment of pure happiness between her and her friends.

“I’m up for anything,” Momo smiles happily.

__________ 

 

It was after dinner that they found themselves strolling down a busy strip by the beach.

Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu had split from Momo and Mina, taking along with them a number of the camera crew to have a look at the different shops set up for the night.

“Did you have fun today?” Mina brings her coat closer to her body.

“Yes,” Momo responds, “and no.”

They share a laugh, reminiscing the day they had.

“What did you think of their ideal dates?” Mina had been waiting to ask Momo this question since they concluded their day.

“I don’t think I’d be able to date someone like Chaeyoung,” Momo expels a tired sigh.

“I’d probably come out of our dates with broken limbs.”

“Oh?” Mina nudges Momo, “And what date would you two go on then?” 

“One that doesn’t leave me screaming in fear,” Momo bluntly responds, recalling the ungodly speed of her kart as she drove past the finish line.

“Fair enough,” Mina replies with a light laugh.

“What about Dahyun?”

Momo kicks up some leaves, disturbing them from their rest on the ground, “She had the right intentions.”

“It was just dumb luck that we ended up using something I didn’t like,” she shudders at the thought of the melons still sitting atop the cake Mina had decorated.

“Would you consider doing more workshops?” The cake decorating had opened Mina up to the idea of doing more classes in the future.

“Of course,” Momo replies with no hesitation, “I had fun.”

“And Tzuyu’s date?” Mina continues.

Momo laughs, “You’ve been asking a lot of questions today.”

Her observations weren’t wrong; Mina had spent the entirety of their dinner interrogating Momo with questions relating to their dates and her other interests. Momo was unsure of what Mina was fishing for with her inquiries, but she was growing more and more curious.

“Have I been annoying you?” Mina asks disappointingly.

“No, I’m just not used to you being this...” Momo tries to find the right word, “chatty?”

“Is that bad?” Mina frowns sadly, walking towards a nearby bench.

“Not at all,” Momo answers as fast as she can, not wanting Mina to feel upset, “it’s just-“ she pulls the younger girl down to sit beside her, “this is all coming out of nowhere and it’s scaring me.”

There was a minute or two of silence between them before Mina answers.

“Sorry, I guess this week’s mission just made me realize how much you do for me.”

“You do a lot for me too-” Momo quickly intervenes.

“But whatever I do seems mundane in comparison.” They each try their best at controlling the conversation; disrupting the other to rear their talk in the direction they wish it would go to.

“I just thought that... I mean-” Mina takes a deep breath and sighs.

“Since the maknaes are here to help liven up our relationship I assumed it was because I haven’t done much and that you were bored.”

So that’s it, Momo thinks to herself, piecing together Mina’s behavior.

“I don’t think you’re boring,” she says simply.

“But I-” Mina opens her mouth to argue, but Momo cuts her off, clasping a hand to her mouth.

“I like going out with you and doing new things, but I also like staying in and just spending time together doing nothing,” Momo says with a definitive tone, slowly removing her hand from Mina’s face after she finishes.

“Yeah, me too...” Mina relents, agreeing with the girl.

Momo sighs, “I dont want you to feel pressured about anything.”

It was never her intention to make Mina feel bad about herself.

Mina nods, “Okay, but will you still go on a date with me if I plan one?” She asks shyly, looking down at her hands on her lap.

“Definitely,” Momo grabs her hand, squeezing it tightly as an add-on to her short answer.

“And sorry too, I didn’t really take your feelings into account when we got the cue card.”

“It’s okay,” Mina shakes her head, “I should have just been honest and told you how I felt instead of bombarding you with questions.”

They sit quietly, blending in with the world around them. Mina had felt immensely burdened and downtrodden, but hearing Momo’s reassuring words relieved her; she wishes she had talked to her sooner.

“You know,” Momo breaks her reverie, “we haven’t really talked like this in awhile.”

It was just like her to know what was on Mina’s mind, or could she have been also thinking of the same thing as her?

“Yeah, on that note-” she turns her head to face her, “do you have anything to share?”

She teases, not expecting a real response but gets one anyways.

Momo stills herself, contemplating whether to come clean or not. “Actually, to answer your previous question,” she fights an inner battle, but eventually gives in to Mina’s questioning gaze. 

“I’m really glad Tzuyu’s idea of a date involves getting couple rings.” Momo’s heart starts to beat faster as a blush forms on her face.

“Really?” Mina could sense her apprehension, Momo was fidgeting in her seat and looking anywhere but her.

“It reminded me of our first time out together,” the older girl says slowly, her voice fading towards the end.

“To the supermarket?” Mina continues for her.

“There was a toy dispenser out front with rings...” Momo wasn’t completely sure if she should be disclosing her thoughts, but proceeds anyways, telling herself she was already in too deep to stop, “and I thought it would be fun if I got us matching ones, and I did.”

Hearing Momo explain herself made Mina as agitated as her, and when realization hit her that she had not removed the said objects from her clothing, her breath hitches.

Momo’s words weighed the items down, making them feel unbearably heavy in her pockets. It was like they were calling for Mina, begging her to make themselves known; she reaches deep inside to pick one up, hoping to lighten the load.

“Why didn’t you give it to me?” Mina wasn’t trying to be nosy, but a part of her was in desperate need of Momo’s reason.

“Because I saw you, and I realized that you deserved better than some cheap plastic-” Momo coughs, hoping the slight reprieve could steady her wavering voice.

“Besides, I don’t even know what happened to them.” 

Mina removes her hand from her coat pocket, her slender fingers holding the clear plastic gently.

“Momo...”

“Oh god, where did you-” Momo stumbles upright to stand on her feet. Her hands were shaking, and her legs felt weak; if it was possible to die from embarrassment she would have keeled over immediately.

She snatches the small pod from Mina, looking around frantically for a trash bin, “Let me just throw-” she spots one not too far away from their location and tries to make a break for it.  

Mina knows she’s going to run, but before she could, she stops her by grabbing her arm.

“No!” she yells in an uncharacteristically loud voice, drawing the attention of some passerby.

“But-” Momo starts off, not knowing what to say to diffuse the situation.

She looks at the ring encased in the clear plastic; it glints faintly from the streetlights.

“I like it,” Mina interjects, her voice was soft yet her words were firm, and when Momo looks at her face, she sees her lips curve into a shy smile, and honesty in her eyes.

“Put it on me?” she asks timidly. Her voice was barely above a whisper; Momo almost misses it - she’s not sure if it was because of all the noise around them, or if it was because her heart was pounding loudly in her ears, but when she pieces together the almost inaudible sentence, she reaches a new level of clarity, and suddenly it was just her and Mina in a bubble of lucidity.

Momo doesn’t trust her voice and her mind’s on the fritz, so when she tells herself to nod at Mina’s request, she croaks instead. 

“O-Okay,” she stutters, cringing internally at how she sounds; the sharpness and transparency of their self-contained bubble magnifying everything she says and does, and right now, she sounds like she hasn’t used her voice in years.

Momo wipes her sweaty palms on her jeans and breaks open the capsule to remove the ring contained within. She almost laughs when she catches a glimpse of the band on her own finger – there was an uncanny resemblance between it and the fake jewelry.

She reaches for Mina’s hand-

“Momo-“ she snaps her head to look at the younger girl.

“That’s my right hand.”

Momo looks down at the hand in hers, “Oh, of course.” She lets go and picks up the other one gently, afraid that any sudden movement would result in Mina shattering into tiny pieces.

She nervously takes hold of Mina’s hand. With a shaky slip of the plastic ring on Mina’s left ring finger, she exhales a deep breath to replace it with a new one, but chokes on it when Mina pulls her in for a tight hug, she reciprocates almost instantaneously, wrapping her arms around the girl’s slim waist.

She feels many things in that moment.

She feels Mina’s arms resting on her shoulders; she feels Mina’s nose poking her ever so slightly; she feels Mina’s breath tickling her ear; she feels Mina’s hold loosen as she leans back; and she feels Mina’s lips on her cheek.

The kiss transcended any intimate gesture Mina had initiated so far, both in and out of the show. It was natural; no motives, no overthinking, it was done without any further thought of what it could lead to for the both of them, but neither of them cared in that moment.

Her chest constricts, bursting her heart and their bubble of clarity as Mina puts the second ring on Momo’s finger, mirroring what she had done to her.

If Momo thought she couldn’t be any happier, she was wrong because her heart pieces itself together to swell even harder as Mina looks at her with a bright smile that rivaled all the lights around them.

She was truly happy to be doing this with the girl in front of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't think it would take this long to update, but I really enjoyed writing this chapter. It turned out longer than I thought it would, but I guess it's necessary because I needed to set up some things. I hope you guys like it! 
> 
> Btw, I love reading your comments, and I'm really sorry I haven't been replying (I've been swamped lately), but I'll make sure to reply whenever I can. Thanks for reading!


	4. Autumn Birthdays

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beware of grammatical errors!

“One, two, three! One in a million! Hello, we’re TWICE!” 

Nayeon, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, and Tzuyu crowd the space in front of their manager, waving enthusiastically at the camera pointed at them as he adjusts his position to fit the group into the frame.

 Jihyo steps forward as the rest lean back into the couch, “ONCE, you probably know what today is.” She looks beyond their manager to read the comments quickly zooming up a laptop screen.

Dahyun joins Jihyo up front. “Today’s Jeongyeon unnie’s birthday!” she says with a loud voice, confirming the reason for the suddenness of their livestream.

Nayeon sinks from the couch to sit on the floor, “We’re in our dorm right now waiting for Jeongyeon, Chaeyoung, and Momo to return from headquarters.”

The camera pans slightly to confirm their location, and the all too familiar sight of the dorm’s living room, now accentuated with balloons and streamers, come into full view.

“Jeongyeon doesn’t know we’re throwing a party for her, so we had Momo and Chaeyoung distract her for the day,” she adds slyly.

“She probably thinks we’ve all gone to bed, but we’ve actually been decorating, and getting reading for this surprise party.” Sana says in between Tzuyu and Mina, her arms resting on their shoulders as she sways them from side to side.

“Mina unnie and I bought decorations earlier this morning,” A winded Tzuyu says, tying a knot on the pink balloon she had been blowing air into.

“And I bought the cake!” an animated Dahyun states after the youngest member finishes talking.

They talk all at once; they prove themselves boisterous and eager for discourse by continual interruptions, but their conversations flow freely nonetheless despite the irregularity of complete sentences, and with each passing minute the number of viewers grow along with an abundance of comments.

“They should be home soon,” Jihyo answers the widespread question that had been persistently popping up on the screen. She turns her body to look at the group sitting on the couch. “Mina, text your wife and ask where they are.” She commands the quiet girl.

“Already on it,” Mina responds in a small voice, unperturbed by what Jihyo had referred Momo as. She swiftly taps her phone’s screen – her eyes glued to the device, eagerly waiting for a swift response; it sounds off with a reply not long after.

Sana leans close to Mina, reading the text that arrived. “Ahh! Momo says they’re in the garage!” She shouts hurriedly, catching everyone’s attention.

All prior conversations halt as the girls jump up in a panic state and shuffle about, waiting for any direction to be announced to them.

“Everyone, hide!” Jihyo finally yells at them.

They kick into gear and scatter around the room, running towards the nearest hiding spot they could find.

“Tzuyu, turn off the lights!” Their leader directs when she sees the youngest girl crouching near the light switch.

“Dubu, get the cake!” Nayeon whispers to the pale girl hiding underneath a pile of stuffed animals. Dahyun pops out with an “Oh, right!” and sprints to the kitchen, her laughter trailing after her.

“Shh, I can hear them,” Sana shushes the rest from beyond the closet she and Jihyo were occupying.

“They’re so loud.” Mina whispers next to a plant. Its leaves were doing a poor job concealing her, but the cover of darkness helped immensely to hide her in plain sight.

Tzuyu looks at the camera pointing at her face. “We would’ve woken up if we were really sleeping,” she says to her manager sitting next to her.

Multiple footsteps and chattering grew louder by the second as they approached the main entrance of the group’s dorm. A loud _beep_ and the sound of a door creaking fill the darkness. Momo crosses the threshold first; she looks around the quiet dorm, careful not to rouse any suspicion from Jeongyeon. Chaeyoung follows after her with a tired look on her face.

“I don’t know unnie, why _do_ oranges hate the police?” She asks flatly as she removes her shoes.

“Because,” Jeongyeon grins widely from the entrance, “they’re always getting squeezed for information!” She exclaims after a pause, throwing her head back in laughter.

Her joke elicits groans from Momo and Chaeyoung, while the rest of the girls, having heard Jeongyeon’s failed attempt at being funny, shake their heads in discontent from their hiding places. 

“Your jokes get lamer every year,” Momo says matter-of-factly, moving deeper into the room.

“I can’t help it. I’ve been holding that one in for a long time.” The older girl retorts right behind her.

“And it’s definitely better than Chaeyoung’s joke about the-“

“SURPRISE!”

It all happened so fast in what can only be described as a myriad of chaos.

Tzuyu turned the lights on blinding everyone in the room; Sana and Jihyo found themselves trying to wriggle out of the tight closet they were in, when they freed themselves they stumbled out and bumped into Chaeyoung, who fell down from their combined force; Mina, whose eyes have yet to adjust to the light, reached out to Jeongyeon, but accidentally grabbed Momo, scaring her instead; Nayeon made an effort to remain cool when leaping out from her spot, but stubbed her toe in the process and was now wincing in pain; through it all, Dahyun entered the scene with a lit cake - she remained the only member to sing happy birthday amidst everything.

Their delivery - all kinds of messy and uncoordinated, do the job nonetheless when Jeongyeon releases a surprised yelp. When she finally wraps her head around the situation, she bellows a loud laugh at the absurdity of it all.

“Yah! I knew you two were up to something!” she points a stiff finger accusingly at Momo and Chaeyoung.

“Chaeng said she wanted to hang out with me, but she kept looking at her phone the whole day.” She looks at short girl being pulled up from the floor by Jihyo.

“And Momo wouldn’t let us go home even though she was tired.” Momo shrugs at her with a chuckle, and pulls her and Mina along to sit on the couch.

Everything had now settled, and with everyone sitting down their livestream could properly begin.

It doesn’t take long until they dissolve into a laughing fit, and it’s an hour into their livestream that they somehow turned it into a competition of who has the most embarrassing picture to show to their fans.

“This is what Nayeon unnie _really_ looks like,” Momo hastily jumps up from the couch to shove her phone to the camera.

A haughty Nayeon openly responds with, “My beauty will radiate through any picture you show,” and it’s accompanied by a flip of her hair and fluttering eyelashes. Tzuyu snorts at her while Jeongyeon retches and flings a glob of frosting from her cake in the eldest member’s direction, chortling when it hits her squarely in the face.

“Put your phone away, your cracked screen’s the most embarrassing thing here,” Sana says next to Momo, effectively deflating her exuberance. 

She grudgingly concedes and elbows the Japanese member on her way back to the couch but not before uttering, “You’re the one who dropped it in the first place.”

Chaeyoung, who had been sitting dangerously close to the camera, reads the slew of comments flooding their video. “They want us to show pictures of Mina unnie,” she says nonchalantly.

“I don’t think Mina unnie has any embarrassing pictures though,” Dahyun voices disappointingly to their audience.

“They’re embarrassing by association,” Nayeon says as she wipes the last remnants of pink frosting on her cheek.

“That’s right.” Tzuyu agrees succinctly with a firm nod.

Mina peers over Jeongyeon’s shoulder as the shorthaired girl scrolled through a bevy of photos on her phone. “I’m sure I have one or two...” her voice fades into a laugh as she and Jeongyeon pause on a picture of her and Momo sleeping on the basement couch, the latter soundlessly asleep in a less than dignified way not befitting of an idol.

Momo cranes her neck to look past Mina, and gasps in indignation at the cause of their laughter. 

“I thought I told you to delete that!” she yells at the pair.

“You don’t look _that_ bad,” Jeongyeon appeases, holding back another bubble of laughter. “Mina, tell her she looks fine in the picture.”

“You look fine.” Mina parrots with a toothy grin and a pat to her knee. Momo eyes them suspiciously but relents with a sigh and a pronounced pout on her face.

“I’ll tell you what,” Jeongyeon starts off, “I won’t show them the picture.” 

Momo sits upright at the proposition. “Really?”

“I’ll post it on your birthday instead,” she continues.

“That makes no difference-“

Tzuyu interrupts mid-whine, having now moved from the couch to the floor during the exchange. “Oh! Speaking of Momo unnie’s birthday,” she scans the comments in between Chaeyoung and Dahyun, “they’re asking if we’ll do another birthday live.” 

Sana opens her mouth to speak. “But Momo and Mina won’t even be here,” she announces airily with little to no thought.

Mina stiffens at her words while her heart quickens, afraid her plans for that day would be divulged. “Sana!” she hisses at the girl; she nervously gestures a subtle side-eye at Momo, who was busily picking at their shared slice of cake.

The Japanese girl clamps her mouth with one hand, and waves apologetically at Mina with another.

Jihyo interjects diplomatically after noticing the tension, “What she means is, Momo and Mina will be too busy filming that day, so we won’t be able to do another one.”

“We’ll make it up to you though,” she segues the topic before any question could be entertained – especially from Momo. 

Mina makes a mental note to thank Jihyo and scold Sana later. She had kept up her ruse for two weeks now, and she’ll be damned if it came to a premature end.

“Since I’ll be the only one with Momo on her birthday, why don’t you all just give her her birthday kisses now,” she proposes, hoping the girl next to her would think nothing of it. In true Momo fashion, she happily obliges to the idea, and a goofy grin forms on her face to welcome the attention.

Fully aware of Mina’s intentions, a collective nod and an order from Jihyo bring the girls in close to surround Momo.

“Our managers are telling us to finish up so we’ll have to end this after we kiss Momo,” a morose Jihyo relays when she catches their team signaling them to wrap up their live from behind the camera. 

“But it feels like we just started,” Dahyun dejectedly groans.

“We have a full schedule tomorrow, so we can’t stay up too late,” Momo reluctantly complies after she suppresses a yawn.

“Okay, let’s do this.” Jihyo pulls them in as Mina moves aside to allow the onslaught of affection to take place.

Tzuyu plants a kiss on Momo’s cheek, “Sorry we won’t be with you on your birthday, Momo unnie.”

“We’ll take you to that restaurant that you like when we’re not too busy,” Chaeyoung assures her.

Nayeon pulls back. “Have fun on your birthday, Moguri.” She candidly winks at Mina, and points at an oblivious Momo. Mina dismisses her with a laugh and motions for her to stop before the other girl notices.

Once everyone had taken their turn to convey their well wishes and fondness, they part from Momo to express their regrets for ending the time spent interacting with their fans.

“Sorry, ONCE. We have to go now.” Sana slings an arm around Dahyun. “Bye!” the pale girl waves.

“Happy Birthday Jeongyeon unnie!” Chaeyoung and Tzuyu yell in unison.

“Yoo Jeongyeon, help me clean up.” Jihyo instructs the figure on the couch, but retracts her command when she sees her powerless and unable to move in the predicament she was in.

Jeongyeon had toppled over with Nayeon on top, trying with utmost difficulty to repel her as she attempted to place a kiss on her face.

“Yah! Nayeon unnie!” she cries in repulsion.

“I’m just trying to give your birthday gift.” The oldest girl declares.

“ONCE, save me! Help!”

Hand in hand, Momo and Mina approach the camera. With one last wave they say their final farewell, “Bye, everyone!

 __________

 

It’s not unknown to others that Momo values the precious time she spends recuperating, especially after an exhausting day. After draining all her energy practicing some new dance moves the night before, she doesn’t really expect anyone to bother her, but there’s an unwarranted moment of intrusion when she hears the bedsheets rustle, and the bed dips as someone shakes her shoulder. She fights it off with a grunt and a shrug, and nestles further into her pillow, but no amount of disregard could dispel whomever it was that came to bring her out of her slumber.

She gets up with unbridled irritation and a frown etched on her face, but trades it for an open-mouthed look of surprise when she sees the reason for her disturbance.

It’s Mina that wakes her, and had it been a few months ago she would have been the cause of her bewilderment, after all, she loved lounging around in her bed even more so than Momo, but it’s been a month since Jihyo somehow convinced her to be her personal alarm clock, and she has to say that it’s a welcome change from Jeongyeon’s nagging or dealing with Sana’s all too bubbly disposition in the ungodly hours of her mornings.

No, it’s not Mina that surprises her but the group of people behind her that loom over the girl’s lithe figure.

“We’re filming today?” Momo’s unsure about a lot of things and it’s this troublesome attribute that’s landed her the position of the eighth rank in their group, but she sure as hell read her schedule, and she knows they’re not due to film their weekly show until tomorrow. 

There’s a preconceived belief that with each year that passes your mind deteriorates bit by bit, and with her birthday right around the corner, Nayeon’s certainly made it an ill habit to plant that thought in her head, so when Mina nods promptly at her and she hears laughter from the camera crew, that profound notion that she was losing her mind sends her into a mild panic.

“We’re shooting your birthday episode.” Okay, maybe it was Mina that was losing _her_ mind because she’s been counting down the days to her birthday, and she knows that there were three days left until then.

“My birthday’s on Sunday.” Her sleepiness and confusion almost made her statement sound like a question.

“I know,” Mina reassures her. “I just thought we could get a head start on your gift.”

If the initial shock didn’t fully wake her then this does. 

She stirs eagerly in acceptance, wide-eyed and renewed with energy that she couldn’t have possibly gotten from her brief sleep, “You got me something?” Momo could be such a child sometimes, Mina admits with a tender smile. 

“Of course,” she nods. “But you have to get dressed. We’re leaving soon.” 

Mina stands up as Momo swings her legs over the edge of the bed. They exit the bedroom posthaste, and she’s shoved towards the nearest bathroom.

In the time it takes for her to get ready, the rest of the girls are interviewed for a short segment of the show where they deliver birthday messages to their fellow member. They’re earnestly playful but meaningful, and Momo walks in just in time to see Mina conduct the tail end of hers. Their eyes lock, and she stifles a smile as the others shift knowing glances between the two.

“-and I just wanted to say that you mean a lot to me. Momoring, I love you.” There’s something about hearing Mina say those words; it spreads warmth throughout her body, and tugs at her heart in all directions. She’s heard it on numerous occasions from a number of people, but lately she found herself craving for Mina’s, and she couldn’t fathom the reason why.

Mina shyly covers her face when cooing ensues – Jeongyeon and Jihyo gag on their part, with Dahyun leading an ensemble of horribly pronounced “I love you too” in English – it’s further exaggerated when she pretends to cry in Sana’s arms and the taller girl reciprocates by patting her head.

The girls bid them their regards and goodbyes, and they leave with not a second to waste on what Mina calculates will be an hour-long drive. 

“I’m getting hungry,” Momo mumbles forty-five minutes in as a growl emanates from her stomach.

Mina looks up from her phone, “I’m sure we can find something for you to eat once we get there.”

“Where are you taking me anyways?” She asks, fiddling with the blindfold covering her eyes; the younger girl had asked her to put it on once they departed their dorm.

Mina abandons her mobile game, and sets her phone aside to intertwine their fingers; “It wouldn’t be a surprise if I tell you.”

Momo hums and perks her ears as she tried to decipher their location from the noises zipping past their car. There’s a honk off to the side, and the standard clicking of the turn signal, but the melodic tune of Yubin’s _Lady_ overrides any sounds indicative of where they currently were or where they were going.

“Are we going to a spa?” She ventures a guess that starts a short train of equally random, and all kinds of wrong conjectures.

“Nope”

“The zoo?”

“Nuh uh,”

“Museum?”

“Try again.”

“The beach?”

“Yeah”

Momo faces Mina’s general direction with quirked eyebrows that disappear into her ebony bangs. “Really?”

“No,” Mina bluntly replies with an unseen smirk.

Momo pouts, “I’m running out of ideas.”

“You should probably stop guessing then,” the other recommends with light giggles.

“There better be food at the end of all of this,” Momo says as her hunger makes its presence known again with another growl.

“Expect something better,” Mina says, squeezing Momo’s hand reassuringly.

“What could be better than food?” Momo raises her brows again with slight offense.

Mina sighs, “Many things, Momo.”

“Enlighten me, Myoui.” The older one challenges.

“Actually, it’s Hirai.” Mina retorts with no prior thought.

Momo’s lips curve into a bright smile, “Taken a liking to your new last name, Hirai-san?”

She falls silent at the suggestion; she’d never openly admit that “Hirai Mina” had a nice ring to it due in part to how embarrassing it would be to have Momo hear her say it, not to mention the teasing she’d get from the others – they would never let her live it down.

There’s a moderate sense of regret for indulging Momo at her own expense, but she was glad her eyes were obstructed or else she would have seen the blush on her face, and would have prodded her to answer.

Their conversation comes to a halt, as does their car when the engine ceases, signaling the end of their drive.

Momo reaches for her blindfold but Mina swats her hand away and mutters a quick “not yet.”

Mina exits out of their company van and grabs hold of the older girl’s hand as she blindly takes a cautious step outside. She guides them to their spot and positions Momo accordingly.

“You can take off your blindfold,” she says with contained excitement at the still unaware girl.

Momo removes the eye mask gingerly; blinking slowly to adjust her eyes to the sunlight she was deprived of for the duration of their ride.

“Surprise,” Mina musters with a tiny voice, expectantly gauging Momo’s reaction.

There’s a moment of silence before she answers, switching her gaze to look at the girl beside her and what was in front of her.

“Wow, Mina.” She returns amusedly with a mischievous smile.

“I can’t believe you bought me an airport,” she quips with a snicker.

She laughs heartily as Mina smacks her arm and glares. All jokes aside relating to the girl’s wealth, she still had no clue why they were there. She opens her mouth to ask, but Mina beats her, and responds simply with, “We’re going on a trip.”

That ceases her laughter. “We are?” she replies, dumbfounded by her declaration.

Mina nods silently, and links an arm with Momo.

“But I didn’t pack-”

“It’s been taken care of.”

“And my plane ticket and passport-”

It was now Mina’s turn to laugh as she dragged a puzzled Momo along with her, “Stop worrying, Sadness unnie prepared everything.”

“And where are we going exactly?”

“You’ll see.”

__________ 

 

Momo sighs tiredly, yet happily, as she flops backwards, sprawling herself on the bed of her and Mina’s hotel room, “I thought that meeting would never end. I was beginning to think I’d die of boredom.”

“You probably would’ve if you paid attention,” replies a similarly weary Mina as she pulls her carrier from the hotel’s hallway into their room.

“I was paying attention.”

“Really?” She questions as she closes the door, clear disbelief evident in her voice.

“You wound me, Mitang.” Momo disguises hers behind a layer of offense; it draws a small smile from Mina that goes unseen by the girl on the bed.

“I just want to make sure you’re aware of what this trip entails.”

Their first day back in Japan was laden with a long, not to mention boring, meeting where Momo and Mina were relayed the schedule of their trip. Ever the excited one, the former hardly absorbed any pertinent information regarding their stay, and opted instead to spend the last remaining ounce of her energy bouncing around in her seat – which seemed like the only thing she had done that day, as it wasn’t far off from her reaction after finding out they would be traveling to their home country.

“Test me.”

Mina chuckles as she removes her thick outerwear, and sets it aside with great care before sitting next to Momo. “Okay, what’s our schedule like for tomorrow?”

“We’re filming some kind of date.”

The simplicity of her answer lacked the detail she was looking for so she elaborates with, “We’re doing a self planned tour of the city as a couple to appreciate the cultural aspects that we take for granted when we’re away.”

Momo wills herself to scoff at her wit, but she smiles instead. “Right, right. Sightseeing and food.”

“And on Sunday?”

“My birthday!” Her smile widens. “We’re doing _We Got Married’s_ wedding photo shoot.”

“What about on Monday?”

She pauses briefly to gather her thoughts, “Trick question! Monday’s our day off and we leave for Korea on Tuesday.”

“How’d I do?” Mina removes a color-coded paper from her pocket, gives it a sweeping look, and nods proudly.

“I’ll give you a passing score. You’re memory’s spotty, but I’ll let it slide because you’re getting old.” She jests before tucking the paper back in.

“Watch it, Myoui.” Momo lightly brushes a dangling knee to Mina’s frame.

“It feels so good to be back in Japan,” she directs moments later at the ceiling before turning her head to look at the girl sitting at the foot of the bed.

“I’m still upset that I couldn’t get you out of working on your birthday,” Mina huffs with slight annoyance.

Momo rises with willingness to dispel her worries after sensing the sudden change in the other. “Don’t be. You’ve given me more than what I could ever ask for.”

“It’s the least I could do after everything you’ve done for me. Besides, you looked like you needed it.” Mina looks worriedly at her, she drops a comforting hand on Momo’s, and squeezes gently.

She was duly aware of Momo’s hard working nature, and how she would never insist on her own accord to take a break. With the help of the other members, Mina ensured a way for Momo to find respite when it became arguably apparent that her solo activities, which she saw an exponential increase of, had slowly been taking a toll on her wellbeing. She was happy for her, she truly was, but with each news of additional work she became increasingly apprehensive that Momo was biting off more than she could chew.

The older girl heaves a heavy sigh. “You have no idea. After Chungha withdrew from _Hit the Stage_ , they had to find a last minute replacement, and they ended up choosing me. I’m happy for the opportunity, but it’s been stressing me out because Ten wants to redo our dance, but it’s hard to communicate our ideas when there’s a language barrier, and our performance is in two weeks,” she rants freely.

“Did you join the show again?”

A chuckle fills the space between them, alleviating her previously foul mood. “No, thank god. I’ve had enough of survival shows. I’m just a guest this time around; it’ll just be a special stage performance to welcome the new contestants for the second season.”

Momo’s clarification induces Mina to breathe deeply out of relief. “That’s good,” she nods, “and I’m sure you’ll think of something. You’re great at what you do.”

Momo returns it with a nod of her own, “I have something in mind, I just need to convince Ten.”

She contemplates her next move; she looks at the hand on hers, and mindlessly plays with Mina’s fingers. She brings her gaze back up, and glances at Mina’s face before leaning in to kiss her cheek. She narrowly misses her lips when the younger girl turns her head just as Momo plants her kiss. 

Momo pulls back and a brilliant shade of red paints her face, mirroring the same color as Mina’s when she realizes just how close they were to accidentally kissing. “That was to thank you,” she utters in a small, timid voice.

She stands up, Mina’s hand in hers, “And to further show my gratitude,” she clears her throat, “How about I take you out to dinner? There’s a really good restaurant that I used to go to not too far from here.”

Mina slowly rises to her feet and takes the offer. “O-Okay,” she wavers, unable to look Momo in the eyes.

They exit their room unaware that they were both replaying what had just transpired, and thinking of what could have happened if Mina had turned her head just a second sooner.

__________ 

 

“Ready?” Mina asks from the front steps of their hotel. Their camera crew had convened minutes before them, and was now capturing footage of the couple as they prepared themselves for their day around the city.

“Yeah,” Momo stuffs the map given to her in her bag, and takes Mina’s hand as they walk towards their first destination.

There’s a shift in their relationship that creeps slow and unnoticed by the parties involved.

It was a gradual thing – a smooth and mellow transition from the disjointed pace they kept. A chaste kiss initiated weeks ago made way for an increase of meaningful conversations, tighter hugs, and warmth shared by interlocked hands in the cold autumn days. It’s confounding that they’ve gone those weeks without paying any mind to the new adjustments; had it not been for an offhanded comment by an attention deprived Sana after catching Mina inches away from Momo’s cheek and demanding she get a kiss too, much to Momo’s annoyance, they would have remained oblivious.

That is, until two days later when a link pops up in their group chat and they finally acknowledge it, albeit silently, when they find themselves immersed in a lengthy article comparing all the _We Got Married_ couples. They read a piece about how naturally affectionate “MiMo” is, and it’s accompanied by a high resolution picture of their kiss post-ring exchange.

They’re made the targets of an ongoing joke where the members incite Mina to be more doting towards them, and Momo finds it hard to defend her because they bring up the picture and feign scrutiny as they look for the obvious blush on the girl’s face mid-kiss on the cheek.

They both have different takes about it, and they both come to terms with it separately.

Mina feels it before Momo ever noticed it; she knows that it’s there, but she doesn’t understand what _it_ is – she theorizes but she can’t prove anything.

She doesn’t know what compels her to stare at Momo longer than what she, and anyone else for that matter, deems is necessary or even polite. She can’t comprehend the emptiness she feels whenever the older girl lets go of her hand. She can’t grasp why her heart beats erratically when the members tease them of their “domesticity.” 

These feelings were of a new plane Mina had not previously traversed, and it was strange. 

It was strange in the sense that Mina, who values knowledge and order, was unable to perceive the meaning of her messy emotions, and perhaps it was a side effect of spending too much time with the carefree Momo, but she finds herself not wholly bothered by the complexity of it all, and forgoes to decipher it for a later time.

For Momo, it’s going back home that really leaves a strong impression about their relationship, and it’s this act that makes her understand _it_ more than Mina.

There’s something cathartic about going back to the place that raised you, and she feels this when Mina takes her near and far from her home to spend the day just gallivanting.

She missed doing all of this, but not really.

There’s an air of comforting nostalgia surrounding their day, and sure, she’s whispered her prayers in the temples they visit, walked the same garden paths that Mina pulls her through, and ate at all of these establishments with her family, but it’s not the places that exude the sense of remembrance and familiarity but Mina herself.

She’s noticed this about her, even long before their virtual marriage.

In times when she’d feel herself breaking down and in need of an escape, the younger girl would pull her close and whisk it all away.

Mina never fails to make her feel like she was home, and Momo sums up the nostalgia as just that.

Mina’s soul was as old and as warm as Kyoto, and when she whispers, and her hot breathe tickles her ear, it reminds her of passing conversations she’s heard on the streets, when she’s tugged by her, she recalls the pull that always seems to draw her back here, and when it feels like they’ve eaten their way around the area, memories of her youth flash before her, and she smiles brightly.

“What is it?” Mina stops reading from her pamphlet when she notices Momo’s slower pace. She tilts her head at the smile plastered on her face, and waits for an answer.

Momo shakes hers in response, “It’s nothing. How about we go here next?” She points at a picture of a park on the pamphlet. Mina reads the short description below the picture, smiles at her, and pulls her along to find the place.

Momo never truly misses her home, not when Mina’s around.

 __________

 

Growing up in a typical Asian family, Momo was strictly encouraged – disciplined she would say, to be ambitious with her dreams. She was proud to say that she followed through with what she taught, and through diligence her ambitions have led her to a job she always longed for.

Her career was anything but conventional; the nature of being an idol was far from the constant glitz and glamour that she assumed came with the title, and when she digs down to the nitty-gritty aspect of her job, she makes a promise to advise others to be wary of it because it’s fraught with long and strange hours, it takes her to places where her language skills are questionably lacking, and she misses her family most of the time she’s away.

However, she was currently in her home country, and she’ll soon spend the remaining hours of her birthday with her family, and despite having to work, there’s a deep appreciation for her job because she’s witnessing a side of it that she’s grown to love.

She side steps and bows her head, apologizing for colliding with an elderly man who was dutifully carrying props . The studio they were utilizing was alive with a fervent atmosphere, and she gazed in awe at the intricacies of floral pieces being moved about. Flowers of differing hues and sizes laid in abundance around the large room as set designers actively roamed to and fro to create the perfect setting for their bridal themed photoshoot. This was her favorite part of the process; she loves seeing ideas come to fruition, and right now she was a spectator of the ambiguity slowly morphing around her.

She moves her legs to walk with purposeful strides, navigating through an archway of pink and white flowers that she didn’t quite know the names of, her eyes transfixed on the girl across the room.

“Hi,” she greets enthusiastically when she nears her.

“Hey,” Mina replies, just as enthused.

“I see Jeongyeon stayed true to her word,” she observes with a scowl when she catches a glimpse of their picture posted proudly on their group Instagram on Mina’s phone.

“You look great if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“And I should believe you because-“ she draws the word out, long and questioning.

“Because I would never lie to you on your birthday,” Mina says with simplistic honesty.

“And our matching rings, and wedding gowns suggest we’re married, so it’s my duty as your wife to be honest with you.”

Momo exhales deeply. She gives the picture another once-over, this time without any animosity and concludes that it’s fine. She found it amazing how Mina’s words could easily mend her insecurities, and all disdain she felt slowly dissipated into softness for the captured memory.

She releases a breathy chuckle. “Well then as _your_ wife I would just like to say that you look really beautiful,” she compliments after openly admiring her partner. Mina truly was a sight to behold in her strapless wedding dress that Momo felt dwarfed by her beauty and elegance, and confesses that her own looks were incomparable to the girl’s in front of her.

“Thank you.” Mina twirls, a blush gracing her features and a delicate giggle escaping her lips.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay after we finish?” she asks in reference to Mina’s decision to leave promptly after their work. “I can tell my parents to wait for me.”

Her offer is declined with a stern shake of a head. “You should spend the rest of your birthday with them.”

“I want to spend it with you too,” she mutters shyly.

Mina smiles tenderly. “Me too, but I know it’s been awhile since you spent your birthday with your family.” She takes hold of Momo’s left hand, brushing the ring on her finger in the process. “And we’ll have plenty more birthdays to spend together.”

“You should rest and enjoy yourself while you can.”

Her shoulders sag as she surrenders, unable to sway Mina when the younger of the two insisted on keeping her resolute stance.

“Girls, we’re ready to begin,” A show writer who traveled with them says.

Mina’s decision is furthermore supported when they’re waved over by their photographer, and she knows the subject’s been dropped as their photoshoot commences. The session felt unnaturally natural to Momo. And in the flurry of white gowns, flower petals, and back hugs she almost felt like they were actually a married couple posing for their wedding pictorial. It’s arms that encircle her waist from behind that snap her back to reality, and she wonders if Mina notices how far she’s come to be so bold.

The flashes end with no warning when their photographer, a woman introduced to them as the go-to person for _We Got Married’s_ photography sessions, is pulled into an intense discussion by two writers.

“Is there a problem?” Mina meekly approaches them when harsh whispers and pointing were thrown in her and Momo’s direction.

“On the contrary, everything’s fine. Your chemistry really translates well in the pictures.” The photographer praises courteously before looking at the writers. “It’s just-“

The head writer of the show takes over – his voice deep and staunch, “Your union, although only onscreen, is such an important milestone that we were hoping you would commemorate this auspicious moment in Korean television and editorial history by being photographed doing something,” he coughs in a timely manner, “much more intimate than a hug.”

Mina and Momo exchange glances; their eyebrows knit with confusion. “What exactly do you want us to do?” The older takes the initiative to ask. It hits her hard and heavy when a thought strikes her and she sputters, “D-Do you want us to k-kiss?”

“We wouldn’t ask this of you if we didn’t deem it important. We truly hope you consider, but in the event that you decline, we’ll respect your decision and we can conclude your photoshoot.” A female writer expresses politely, the soft lilt of her voice juxtaposing the man who previously spoke.

“We’ll leave you to discuss this matter.”

Mina’s pulled aside by Momo, further increasing the distance between them and the group as they deliberate on their next action.

“We don’t have to. If it makes you uncomfortable-“ Momo begins to say.

“No, it’s okay.”

“Mitang, we really don’t have to-“ Momo felt determined to protect her from any situation that could potentially leave Mina feeling uneasy.

“Momo, it’s fine, really. It took me by surprise, but I understand where they’re coming from.” Mina felt just as determined to go through with it in spite of the internal conflict being waged between her racing heart and rambling mind.

“Besides, I do owe you a birthday kiss.” She jokes nervously.

“Oh r-right.” Momo squeaks, having forgotten about their tradition.

They walk back with displaced energy to convey their decision, a decision met with ruckus gratefulness from a crew that they have been associated with for weeks now – Momo doesn’t know if that should ease her.

Mina sincerely understands the reasons behind their proposition; she and Momo were inexplicably part of a budding community that barely saw positive representation in the media, and it was their rightful duty to express themselves with the same affection as any heterosexual couple. She tells herself that _this_ is the reason for her determination and not the voice within her that’s been telling her to kiss Momo every time she was within range. But if a kiss were to quell that itch then so be it, maybe she could finally have some peace of mind.

Unlikely, her mind remarks when Momo places her hands on her hips and pulls her close. She brings her arms up and rests dainty hands on Momo’s shoulders, biting her lips in anxious anticipation as they’re pulled closer toward each other. She inches closer and catches Momo licking her lips before she closes her eyes, and in seconds finds lips sleek with gloss graze hers in a short peck.

Their first kiss was decisively sweet, quick but enough for Mina’s mind to fray so that when Momo pulls back red-faced and lips parted, an impetuous Mina goes back in.

Their second kiss was disorienting, and she loses herself to her desires when Momo tightens her hold on her, and she reciprocates by deepening it further. She doesn’t know what’s driving her to continue. Was she still satisfying that itch of hers? Was she trying to prove her theories wrong?

It ends too soon for Mina to find an answer so she rests her forehead on Momo’s – her eyes closed and head aching.

Something in her breaks when she opens her eyes and looks at Momo; her eyes glisten and her heart skips, she tries to form words but the only thing that escapes from her mouth is her name.

“Momo…”

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”

The crewmembers erupt with loud cheers and break into a chorus of singing and laughter; the girls jump apart from each other as Momo’s presented with a cake. She endures it, happy to be in the company of people who care about her, but in the midst of the brewing festivities she loses sight of Mina and she fights to stifle a frown from forming on her face.

__________ 

 

Mina weakly closes her door and walks across her room to sit on her bed.

She clenches a fistful of her bedsheets as she heaves a sigh. 

It troubles her that the kiss left her reeling for more. Should she be feeling this way knowing she just kissed one of her friends? Would it have been any different if it was shared between her and someone else? 

She tries to imagine anyone but Momo, but even the most desirable person in the world couldn’t leave her heart racing like the older girl – a tiny voice in her head tells her that maybe it’s because it was Momo she desired, not the person the world was currently fixated on.

She shakes her head.

Who did she like before any of this? When did Momo invade all corners of her mind? Why was she all that she could think of?

It’s deep in the recesses of her mind; she catches a quick glimpse of _it_ and tries to make sense of the thought.

It takes her a moment, a long one at that, but when she realizes why she’s so affected by what happened, it knocks the wind out of her. Their kiss opened her eyes to reveal what her feelings have been trying to tell her all along, and the sweetness of it all fades into bitterness as she succumbs to the truth. She understands now; she knows what it all means. The shroud of blissful ignorance unfurled itself to a clear picture of her wanting and needing Momo, and it terrifies her immensely.

“I like Momo,” she admits in a raspy voice that surprises her.

Her breathing becomes ragged - the shallow huffs do nothing to her lungs, but she gasps deeply for air when an exceptionally painful ache leaves her breathless as it tears through her heart and reverberates throughout her body, leaving shockwaves of unease.

This was never meant to happen; it was never supposed to be this way. How long has she been unaware of her feelings? How could she let them go unchecked for so long that it had somehow spiraled into a state of disarray?

Her heart palpitates at an unnatural speed – she’s panicking.

“Momo doesn’t like you, so let it go,” she wants to laugh it off in a self deprecating manner, but the admission breaks her fragile resolve, and tears trickle down her face as she clutches her chest.

“Let it go,” she repeats sadly over and over again until it becomes too unbearable as her words turn into indiscernible mumblings. She chokes on a sob that had made its way to her throat and collapses on her bed in a crying heap.

Mina doesn’t remember falling asleep, but she remembers waking up from a dull pain in her chest caused by a dream that felt all too real.

She gets up slowly, brushing strands of her hair glued to her face from her dried tears. She was disheveled; her hair was unkempt; the outfit she wore from the previous day was no longer neatly pressed, but wrinkled from its misuse as sleepwear; her swollen eyes and deep frown exacerbated her messy appearance – she grudgingly takes note that her look was befitting of how she felt.

There’s rapping on her bedroom door; her mom’s voice penetrates the hard wood as the older Myoui yells for her to wake up, and the dull ache that’s become somewhat of a permanent resident in her since the night before intensifies sharply.

 _“Wake up, Mina.”_ Dream Momo, dressed in her photoshoot attire, wiped her mouth vehemently, ridding any evidence of the kiss that transpired between them.

 _“We may act like a couple, but that doesn’t mean we’ll ever be one.”_ She stood rigid as her words flowed out of her mouth with as much malice as she could produce.

Mina tells herself that in the event Momo ever finds out about her feelings, the older girl would never treat her with such disdain as her dream counterpart, but the damage has been done. Her dream wins the war over logic and reassurance, and she solemnly vows to bury her feelings or else risk her friendship, which in turn, could potentially jeopardize their group dynamic.

__________ 

 

Mina’s well-deserved vacation was far from relaxing; spending time with her parents was a great distraction from her overnight revelation until the couple pressed her about the show and how Momo was doing. Apparently news about her weren’t enough to believe when they came from the girl’s own mother – their parental bonding had increased after _We Got Married_ started airing, so Mina spent the better half of her afternoon talking about the girl, and listening to her mom lecture her dad to be more thoughtful like her, and watching her dad nod along to her stories as he gushed about how Mina was in good hands.

It comes to an end when the next day arrives and she tiredly lugs a suitcase around the airport with her dad in tow. They close in on Momo and her family, her mom had already taken off to meet them and she sees her greeting Momo with a big hug and a belated “happy birthday.”

It was hard to look at her knowing feelings were now involved. It becomes even harder when she notes the stark difference between them. Mina’s makeup was heavy – a disguise to hide another sleepless night spent thinking of the older girl, while Momo stood in front of her, brazen and natural with no hint of sleep lost on her face. Mina can only equate this as proof that their kiss had no effect on Momo and her heart constricts at the thought.

They say their goodbyes and Momo tugs Mina through crowds of people to find their terminal, all the while talking over various noises as she recounts something funny her sister had done. Momo laughs when she finishes and she smiles weakly in return – she wonders if the older girl can see right through it.

They board their plane eventually.

Mina’s kept up with Momo by making small talk, but she loses her cool when they sit next to each other. There’s a rush of claustrophobia surrounding her – she feels sick to her stomach. The plane feels too small, and the cabin’s oxygen was too thin for Mina to feel comfortable.

Their conversations diminish; she loses the ability to speak when Momo’s hand brushes her knee, and their talk becomes almost one sided when she can’t respond right away to her worried question.

“Mitang, are you okay?”

No, she’s not okay.

Momo palms her cheek; she feels her mouth dry from the contact.

“I’m just-” she clears her throat, “going to miss my family.”

It wasn’t an outright lie, but it was also far from what she wanted to say. She wanted to say how much Momo was hurting her with her casualness that felt like they hadn’t just kissed days ago. She wanted to say that she missed the blissful ignorance she basked in before their kiss happened because these newfound feelings were too much for her to handle.

Momo smiles sadly at her, “Don’t worry, you’ll see them again soon.”

Her eyes sting when Momo pulls her hand back. She doesn’t know what feels worse, Momo touching her or losing her touch. And it’s this push and pull that Momo has over her that makes her feel vulnerable to everything she does that her chants of “let it go” do nothing to calm the flurry of emotions within her. Her mantra was no longer a viable method in her unwanted sessions of mini heart attacks as Momo leaves her dumbfounded and short circuits her mind as she yawns and leans her head on Mina’s shoulder.

 _“Stop it_ , _”_ she mutters to herself; it was initially meant for her and her alone, but maybe it was also directed at the sleeping girl. Her actions, big and small, were not conducive to the cause Mina set for herself, and it was proving to be impossible for her feelings to go away when all Momo had to do to weaken Mina’s knees was breathe.

She’ll lose her sanity if this continues. She needs to stop it.

Minimal interactions could be good for them, she thinks, not all too sure of her plan, but goes along with it. It wasn’t the best idea to cross her mind, but she figures it was enough for the time being.

She looks at Momo – her face was a surface free of any worries, unlike Mina’s. Where one kiss brings them closer, another pulls them apart, and it upsets her that it has to be this way.

Mina circumvents it all; she avoids the hand that reaches out for hers and lets it fall on a shaky knee, and she tunes out the quiet murmurs from the sleeping girl - she’ll lapse if she hears her call her name. 

She eases into her seat and finds that it’s easier to breathe, but can’t help but feel empty inside. There’s a gnawing guilt that eats at her conscious as well for her callous behavior towards the unsuspecting girl, but reasons with herself that it’s a necessary step to take to keep her feelings at bay.

Mina curtails herself of any remaining advances, and with finality and a heavy heart, she relinquishes Momo’s head on her shoulder and rests hers on the window beside her, and just like that, their relationship shifts again - and this time around Mina’s all too aware of the abrupt and unsteady transition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! It's been awhile since my last update but the fourth chapter's finally here! Thank you for waiting patiently, and I hope you enjoy it! Don’t forget to comment, I love hearing what y’all have to say!
> 
> One more thing, I recently made a twitter account not too long ago and I was thinking of posting content about the story between updates. If you'd like to follow me my handle is @zipzapzephyr or you can find me on discord (Parzephyr)
> 
> I love making new friends so let's follow each other and talk about all things TWICE! :)


	5. Mutuals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I don’t know how many of you were aware but a preview of this chapter was posted a few weeks ago on Twitter. Please feel free to stop by @zipzapzephyr where I’ll post previews, updates, and other pertinent information related to this story. I’ll have it pinned so you won’t miss it! Beware of the grammatical errors!!

There’s a growing distance between Momo and Mina that’s brought about by an unfortunate decision that the latter greatly enforced at the cost of her happiness.

They don’t talk about it; Momo’s been too busy (which is fine on Mina’s end because she doesn’t want to explain why she’s been acting so strange), but their lack of conversation also stemmed from Momo’s unawareness that Mina was avoiding her. It’s equal parts comforting and saddening that the older girl hasn’t acknowledged the reason for Mina’s behavior. She takes solace in the fact that she can go unbothered in her ways, yet is heartbroken knowing their kiss held no meaning for any confrontation to be held. Momo is after all an affectionate person, and she willingly gives attention just as much as she seeks it. She concludes with dejected admittance that she’s probably just another notch on her belt - the thought pains her, but she accepts it as the truth.

It’s been days since their return, and Mina had eased just a tad when she realized Momo’s attention would be divided between her, her upcoming performance, and the other members. With her partner constantly away for practice, she found herself solely caught in a whirlwind of curiosity as the rest of the girls flocked with a never-ending tirade of questions regarding their trip. She didn’t want to relive what happened; she certainly didn’t want to feel the ache that accompanied the memories, so she quietly dismissed them with a cryptic response to watch the show instead, but it’s now come to the point where she couldn’t continue to run from the events, and so she sat with eyes cast downward and her bottom lip between her teeth, waiting for the dreaded birthday episode to air.

Each minute that passes feels painstakingly long. She swears that it would be so much easier to just face the inevitable, but queasiness settles in her stomach when she remembers how much teasing she’d be subjected to, and her mind tells her to run. 

She wants to escape this mess. 

She wants to leave – needs to, in fact. 

“Mina? Where are you going?” Jihyo asks from beside her.

It didn’t occur to her that her body had taken over during her preoccupied daze and reflexively willed herself to stand in the process. 

She scours her brain for any reason, and in a tiny voice she musters the first viable excuse that crosses her.

“I need to use the bathroom.”

Her leader takes it at face value with an understanding nod.

“Okay, but hurry back. I think it’s going to start soon.”

She slips away amidst the incongruous rowdiness of Dahyun’s laughter, and Jeongyeon’s stern scolding that almost overrides the bubbly jingle of a ramen commercial. The noise mellows considerably as she moves with brisk strides towards the bathroom, not at all anticipating bumping into the cause of her despair as she rounds a corner.

“Mitang!”

She stumbles backwards, rubbing her nose, as hands grip her sides to steady her wobbly figure.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you.” Mina could do without hearing the gentleness in Momo’s voice, and the eyes that wander her body, looking for signs that she had been hurt by their collision.

“I-It’s fine. It was my fault anyways.” She feels so bare under her piercing gaze.

Momo shakes her head but doesn’t press her further to voice her disagreement. Her arms fall back to her sides; Mina sighs inconspicuously at the loss of contact, and the remaining wind is knocked out of her when Momo starts talking again.

“Hey, so I know we haven’t really talked since we got back-,” she begins with an air of regret.

Oh god.

No amount of preparation could ready her for this unavoidable discussion that was about to take place. Her heart and mind hammered within her – she didn’t know which one to listen to, the dryness in her mouth left her unable to stop the girl in front of her from continuing, and she felt rooted to her spot.

“-but I’ve been thinking a lot about-“

“Moguri!”

The interference was a godsend for Mina, one that necessitated a silent thank you to the intrusive owner of the voice still ringing in her ears.

Momo waves a hand at whoever was behind Mina’s back. “Just a moment unnie.”

Mina could infer as much from her response that she was talking to Nayeon.

“You should go to her,” the younger one says, masking the trembling voice that had found its way back to her.

“But I-“

“The others have been missing you. We can talk another time.” Her decisiveness conjures a frown from Momo, but the girl complies nonetheless as she’s nudged towards the direction of their eldest member.

“I’ll see you in the living room then,” Mina hears her say; it’s quiet and soft, but there’s a tinge of sadness that coats her words, and she kicks herself mentally for coming off so brusque.

She makes it to her original destination without any more interruptions.

She closes the bathroom door and presses her back against the wood, releasing a heavy sigh of relief that her encounter with Momo didn’t escalate to something more. It was disconcerting how a few minutes alone with her onscreen partner was enough to shake her being, and she found it increasingly difficult to restrain her feelings when it was steadily growing outside of tamable boundaries.

She runs a shaky hand to smoothen the frown on her face, jolting forward in surprise when a knock permeates through from behind her, and a familiar voice breaks the silence.

“Mina unnie, the show’s about to start.”

Gathering herself from her momentary scare, she shoots back a reply to the person at the other end of the door. “Okay, Tzuyu. I’ll be right there.”

Hands run under cold water and onto her face as she readies herself for the unimaginable. She turns off the faucet and leans forward to look at herself in the mirror.

“It’ll be okay.” She whispers it reassuringly yet it has no effect on her; she repeats it a second time with her eyes tightly shut and opens them expectantly, hoping her reflection wouldn’t look so haggard.

Nothing changes.

She composes herself to the best of her abilities and exits after a deep intake of air.

Mina returns to a packed room of bodies haphazardly littering spaces of their living room. She weaves through Chaeyoung and Sana lying on their front on the floor, and of Dahyun passing a bowl of popcorn to Jihyo. She sits down between Jeongyeon and Tzuyu on the couch as the episode slowly unfolded with scene after scene. The vibrant colors and jaunty tunes coming from the TV do nothing to placate her nerves, and when a clip of her divulging her birthday plans to the members appear with heavily accented effects, Momo turns around in her seat from the front to give her a small smile, and it’s at this moment that she notices the distance that’s been building between them.

They’ve always enjoyed the closeness that they’ve shared; it seemed like they were never too far away from each other – always keeping the same pace, sharing their deep-seated worries, and up until recently they had always maintained the unspoken tradition of sitting beside one another for moments like this. But it all crumbles away, and in its place is a wall erected from all the ruin – it’s messy, imperfect, and fragile.

She peeks through the cracks of the newly built wall of insecurity, and watches Momo and Nayeon with a searing intensity as the older one scoots closer to whisper in the Japanese girl’s ear.

Momo giggles.

Of course she does, Mina thinks bitterly. It intensifies when Nayeon is pulled closer and she rests her head on Momo’s shoulder.

There’s something that festers deep inside her, and it feeds off of her desires and anger, leaving her emaciated and in need of the same attention Nayeon was receiving. She couldn’t deny that she wanted to be the one to do those things with Momo, but she was vexed by the lack of control she had over her feelings; she couldn’t allow herself to be near her in the state she was in. This was all so convoluted for Mina, and the worst part of it all was how spiteful she was becoming towards the people she cared about.

A loud gasp breaks her reverie, and she whips her head to find the source. 

Chaeyoung sits up with a disgruntled whine. “What? No-” she protracts in annoyance. “They can’t end it like that! I want to know what happened to Momo and Mina unnie.”

Mina can only venture a nervous guess as to what she was referring to, and she hopes (prays, she should say) that they didn’t just watch her and Momo kiss while she was staring intently at her.

“I can’t believe we have to wait one more week to find out why Momo wouldn’t shut up about her time in Japan,” Jeongyeon pipes from beside her.

Wait, one more week?

Mina turns her head just in time to watch the last fleeting seconds of the preview for the next episode. Releasing a ragged breath she had unknowingly been holding, she thanks whatever higher power took pity on her at the realization that she was spared for another week.

“Mina!”

She’s brought back from her daze. Her senses sharpen greatly, and she jumps in surprise at the sheer volume of Sana’s voice.

“Was Momo’s birthday just as fun as she said it was or is she just exaggerating like she usually does?” her fellow Japanese member asks.

Momo’s birthday…

Unwarranted memories of that day flash vividly in her mind; she blinks back images of Momo drawing closer to her, but her attempts to suppress it all are futile as their kiss repeat itself tauntingly.

She fidgets as all eyes fall on her; she chances an agitated glance at Momo, regretting it instantly when she catches Nayeon snaking an arm around her. Her gaze falls back on Sana with outstanding speed, not wanting to be a spectator of any more of Momo and Nayeon’s moments.

“O-Oh, I-I guess we’ll just find out next week,” she stumbles to say; Sana groans in dissatisfaction from her vague answer, drawing a triumphant smile from Momo.   

She sinks heavily in her seat, nursing the pain in her chest that’s become an unwanted companion to her feelings.

Had she known that _We Got Married_ would be a harbinger of her own heartache, Mina would have never agreed to do it, but here she was now, dreadfully anticipating the consequences of her actions. In a week’s time everyone will be a witness to her and Momo’s kiss, and suffice to say, she hadn’t the faintest idea of how she’ll handle the impending outcome, whether good or bad, that’ll arise from the situation.

__________ 

 

“Out of sight, out of mind,” could never ring more true to Mina, and in the week following the previous episode of _We Got Married_ , she’s learned to avoid Momo with unwavering dedication.

Understandably so, eluding her wasn’t easy when filming resumed. And while their dorm provided a generous amount of people and activities to serve as distractions, being isolated in a moderately sized house with just Momo while other people expectantly gauged their interactions from afar proved to be a challenging task for her. It’s a series of lies that thwarted plans for them to do some bonding, and under the guise of a cough that accompanied what Momo assumed was a fever-like temperature but was just a blush induced warmth from being too close to each other, Mina found herself hiding under the covers of their bed, feigning an illness she never had.

Dictums of honesty and karma should have deterred her from continuing on with her ruse, but life always finds a way to meddle, and a karmic blow sidelines her a few days later when her deceit turns to truth.

Mina rolls over on her back and groans internally at the sight of Momo bending over her bedridden figure.

_Not now, please._

Hands grasp her blanket, pulling it to rest neatly on her body; one hand continues its journey upwards to her forehead, brushing strands of her hair aside before laying daintily on the hot surface of her skin.

“Your fever’s gone down,” Momo observes – low and relieved. “Did you take your medicine?”

She nods weakly – it’s the only thing she’s able to do when running’s not an option.

“Do you need anything? Chaeyoung and Tzuyu are still out, I can give them a call.”

_I don’t–_

“Are you hungry?”

_I just–_

“I can ask manager unnie to make you something–”

_Wait I–_

“–or maybe I can–”

“No,” she manages through a scratchy throat.

“You don’t-“ she makes an effort to sit up, but her arms cave from under her. “You don’t have to do all of this,” she repeats with a huff as Momo sets her down gently, tilting her head in confusion.

“Take care of me,” she clarifies; it comes off clipped and she regrets it immediately, but the rush of words that spew from her mouth are no better.

“We don’t have to act like a couple when we’re not being filmed,” she winces at her harshness; Momo’s taken aback as well because she knows they’re not obligated to continue pretending when they’re alone. But they’ve always taken care of each other, so why is this any different?

“I know that I was just… Mitang are–” Momo was at a loss for words, and Mina’s visible discomfort signals her to pull back. “are we o-okay?”

Mina couldn’t blame Momo for assuming there was something wrong with them, and her coldness towards her only increased the older girl’s suspicions. Had she been well, she would have dashed at the mere mention of Momo’s name, but she was stuck and growing more and more agitated by her inability to escape.

“We’re fine.” _Lies._

She had to make do with her situation, and if she couldn’t leave then she could at least hide; she pulls her blanket closer and tucks herself under, breathing deeply and averting Momo’s concerned gaze.

“I’m sorry. I’m just really tired,” comes the muffled response.

“Momo, I…”

She stops to contemplate – she wants to say it, she wants to just be honest and come forth about her behavior but a distant “we’re home!” stops her, and the noise that follows increases gradually until Nayeon barges in and greets Momo with a rushed “it’s starting!” and Mina bites her tongue, withholding herself from confessing.

Momo dismisses her with a nod before turning to look back down at the sick girl.

“Will you be okay? I can stay if you want.” She hesitates to offer.

“I’ll be fine,” Mina returns tiredly. “I just want to rest.”

Momo rises with a resigned sigh, “I’ll be outside if you need me.”

She walks despondently, closing the distance between her and the door, and Mina shuts her eyes closed, blocking the view of the figure retreating away from her.

It’s with a twisted kind of fear and anxiousness that she admits to herself that she would rather be sick in bed than endure what’s about to take place outside – she crawls deeper under her blanket, and with a frown, she drifts off to a restless sleep while the rest of the dorm’s inhabitants awaken with an unmatched energy.

__________ 

 

Momo starts noticing the inconsistencies in their relationship. This (whatever ‘this’ is) has been going on for far too long for her to see that something wasn’t right between her and Mina, and it was frustrating her to no end that she couldn’t pinpoint the reason for the sudden indifference aimed towards her.

“Is Mina okay?” an inquisitive Sana asks through a mouthful of potato chips.

“She’s fine,” she says after pausing to contemplate an appropriate answer, “she fell asleep.”

She knits her brows together to form a noticeably downcast expression and sits down at the far end of the couch away from the buzzing commotion. Mina was decidedly not okay and neither was she, but an admission of the sort would warrant the other girls to cease their actions and disturb Mina in her weakened state, and while that would prevent the skittish girl from running away, it wouldn’t be an ideal confrontation for them to hash out their problems. But what were their problems anyways? Were they fighting? What could she have done to provoke this kind of treatment?

Numerous reasons fill her head as she tries to make sense of it all. It’s undoubtedly clear that Mina’s upset with her because she doesn’t display the same reactions of unease towards the others when they’re around.

Perhaps she said something wrong to her, or maybe she feels like she’s been cast aside - but if that were the case her efforts to amend her crazy hours weren’t reaching the girl.

She does her best to divide what little time she has; she tries to make sure no one is left unattended to, and she spreads her love without any prejudice because she’s appreciative of all the love she receives in return. Everyone has been so sympathetic and she’s grateful that they don’t demand more than she’s capable of.

Jeongyeon and Jihyo always reprimand her for going out in her spare time, but she sees past their scolding and knows that it’s said out of concern for her wellness. Sana’s always ready to accept an invitation to go try out a new restaurant, and it’s the most gratifying feeling when she sits across from her after a long day and stuffs her face full as her Japanese compatriot talks her ears off. An hour or two of self-care with Nayeon has been a fun activity she looks forward to on her days off because god knows she needs a good facial every now and then. She could go on about babying Tzuyu whenever the stoic member latches on to her to talk about her day, or how relaxing it is to just sit next to Chaeyoung as she paints a new portrait, or how simply laughing with Dahyun was one of the most stress relieving activities she could do, but Mina’s been an exception to all of this and she can’t recall any meaningful thing they’ve done together after returning.

She feels like she’s failed, and– argh!

Momo shakes her head in exasperation. She misses Mina.

She misses her so much that the pang in her chest becomes increasingly unbearable with every disregard thrown her way. She considers herself too accustomed spending time with her that being apart feels so foreign, and Mina’s become such a strong source of her happiness that the same emotion pales in comparison when it comes from someone else. She doesn’t know when she started feeling this way or why, for that matter, but it’s progressed so naturally that it's second nature to want to be around her all the time. She stopped questioning it a long time ago and has been riding her rollercoaster of emotions since, but revisiting it opens something deep within her, and it doesn’t cross her mind to the possibility of what it could be until she thinks back to her trainee days and remembers feeling a lesser form of this for her former dance instructor. Puppy love, Sana called it as she reminisced of her experience catching feelings for a student in her previous school and...Wait a minute.

Oh- 

_Oh._

Is that what this is? She has feelings for Mina?

She dissects the realization thoroughly (well, that would explain a lot of things, she thinks to herself as she analyzes her feelings); she notices how the new information was an easy pill to swallow, and she repeats it in her head until it builds and builds, filling her and leaving no other room for her thoughts until it spills from her mouth like a dam breaking forth from all the pressure.

“I like Mina,” she admits confidently under her breath, and the words taste as sweet as they sound, but she’s given no time to relish in the moment because everyone is suddenly yelling at her – did she miss something important?

“You kissed Mina?!” Her roommate all but exclaims in her ears.

She looks up at Jeongyeon’s shocked face and answers with a confused “Huh?”

She brings her attention to the TV; her ignorance lessens as the aforementioned kiss replays, and the episode ends not long after when the staff finishes their birthday song. She looks at herself craning her neck to find her missing partner; only to realize that Mina had left right after their kiss, and it all fades away as she masks her dejected expression with a happy smile.

“Unnie, is this what you meant when you said you had a fun time?” Tzuyu asks from beside her.

A playful smile forms on Dahyun’s face and her brows rise in insinuation as she asks, “So what other “fun” things did you do?” It’s instantly met with a reprimanding chorus of “Dahyun!” and “Unnie!” from Jihyo and Chaeyoung, and the pale girl bellows with a laugh as her question draws a blush from Momo.

“Why didn’t you tell us that you two made out?” Nayeon joins in, just as mischievous as Dahyun.

“What? We didn’t ma-, i-it was just a kiss!” She sputters back. “And we signed a non-disclosure agreement, remember?”

“I can’t believe you coerced Mina into kissing you,” Sana accuses pointedly at her.

“I did no such thing!” She crosses her arms over her chest, offended that they would think so low of her to mastermind and force someone to engage in something that wasn’t consensual.

“It was a joint decision then?” Chaeyoung inquires from her seat, her head cocked to the side in bewilderment.

“Yes. No! Both?” She sputters in quick succession.

“What?” Jeongyeon says, thoroughly perplexed by the multitude of answers.

Momo sighs in frustration, looks around the room at her band mates, and states as clearly as she can, “The staff asked us to do it. I was against it,” she starts slowly so they can comprehend her unwillingness.

“I didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable; I tried to convince her out of it, but she said she was okay with it and well...” her voice drifts off, unable to convey the situation for them to understand.

“So you’re telling us that it was Mina who initiated it?” An incredulous Jeongyeon questions as she exchanges unbelieving glances between the others. She nods back, garnering talks between the girls of how unexpected and out of character that was of Mina.

“That’s surprising” Tzuyu states with Jeongyeon and Chaeyoung agreeing quietly beside her.

“Tzuyu’s right,” Their leader says seconds later.

“How so, unnie?” Dahyun asks, looking at the older girl.

Nayeon’s voice fills the room answering for Jihyo with her own observations, “Think about it. It’s Mina; she’s not the type of person to draw unnecessary attention to herself-“ she declares.

“And aside from Jeongyeon, she’s the least likely person in our group to participate in any sort of on-cam skinship, especially a kiss” Sana appends next.

Tzuyu comments after. “She kissed Momo unnie knowing it would air.”

“So she had a reason for doing it?” Chaeyoung airily poses.

Jeongyeon contributes with a single, “Probably.”

The eldest of the group sat pensively and lost in thought. “What’s gotten into her?” she mutters.

“Let’s go ask her about it!” Sana excitedly yells, catching the quiet words Nayeon had so casually asked herself. They jump up from the floor, ready to scurry away to find some answers.

“What? No!” Momo protests as the two members proceeded to disturb the only person missing from the conversation.

“Why not?” Nayeon pouts as Jeongyeon pulls her back down, her pout deepening as she and Sana are chastised for their nosiness.

“First of all, she’s sleeping, and second, shouldn’t the talk be between me and her?” Momo berates her group mates.

Chaeyoung straightens in her seat, “You mean you two haven’t talked about it?

“No, I’ve been a bit sidetracked lately, and besides, what if it doesn’t even mean anything?” She throws back with hidden disappointment.

“Or what if it does?” Dahyun smirks and wiggles her brows at the older girl.

Jihyo sits up and clears her throat. “In any case, if it does mean something to her than we should wait for her to say it,” she addresses. “And not pester her about it,” she adds decisively, leering at Sana and Nayeon. The two girls shrink in their seats at their leader’s orders, and a grumble escapes Sana’s mouth, emphasizing her displeasure to respect Mina’s, and to a lesser degree, Momo’s privacy.

Momo thanks Jihyo with a curt nod and retreats from the ongoing conversation. She eyes the door to Mina’s bedroom and frowns; there’s a striking possibility that Dahyun may be right. If the kiss meant something to Mina then it could be the reason for her behavior, and they would certainly need to talk about it at some point, but finding time to do so will have to wait until her schedule frees up the perfect opportunity for them.

She’ll have to endure Mina’s coldness for the time being.

__________ 

 

“Jeong?” Momo reluctantly calls from her side of the bed. Her voice breaks the cycle of grunts and clacks from the floor, and Jeongyeon chimes in with a preoccupied hum as she fiddles with a brightly colored lump of conjoined LEGO pieces.

“Do you think it’s possible to misinterpret how you feel for someone based on how much time you spend with them?” she whispers straight towards the ceiling. She was happy to finally put a name to her once ambiguous feelings, but her recent discovery left her more questions than answers. Were her feelings true despite her unawareness? Should she be feeling this way?

“Yeah, I think so,” Jeongyeon answers with a huff, “but I also think our feelings try to stay as true as they can,” she adds, raising her creation with profound annoyance to study it under the light.

Momo sits up and peers at her roommate slumped over on the floor. Her back was turned; yet she could sense the disgruntled aura emanating from her. “What do you mean?” 

“You just kind of know if you like or don’t like someone,” she watches her arms jerk with every tug of her toy. 

“And if you’re unsure, then you probably haven’t realized how you truly feel or you’re in denial.”

“I see,” she mutters quietly.

In spite of her insecurities regarding the validity of her feelings, she knows them to be true because of the immeasurable joy that fills her body when she thinks of Mina. Listening to Jeongyeon only solidified how true they are, but there are much to be done because with happiness comes the crushing sadness when she remembers the condition of her relationship with Mina.

The shift in the mood was abnormal for Jeongyeon. Momo was readily one of the livelier people living with her, but the silence that engulfs them leaves her unsettled. She drops the blocks in her hand and turns around to look at the girl on the bed.

“Are you okay? You’ve been spacing out more than usual.”

Something has been occupying Momo’s thoughts, and it was clearly affecting her enough that the change forming within her friend had become noticeable. The suddenness of her question and her withdrawn behavior were alarming, but she picks up on the sliver of reason that passes through her mind and sighs.

“We can’t choose who we fall for, and it’d be pointless to deny your feelings, but don’t you think this will complicate things between you and Mina?” She cocks her head worryingly, piecing her findings together to make sense of what’s gotten Momo so subdued.

Momo blinks in surprise. Jeongyeon _did_ have a discerning eye for these sorts of things. “I suppose–“

“I mean, Ten’s a nice guy but you’re still obligated to act like you and Mina are married-“ Or maybe not.

“Wait, wha-“

“-this might put him in an awkward position-“

“Jeong.”

“-and it’s not like we have to worry about our dating ban anymore, but-

“I don’t have feelings for him!”

She grabs a stuffed doll and chucks it towards Jeongyeon, effectively halting her rambling when it connects with her face, and it drops down on a pile of discarded blocks with a loud crash and an explosion of color.

She gives Momo a searing scowl and opens her mouth to chastise her for the scattered mess but withholds when she processes what she had just said. “Oh, I just assumed... never mind.”

“What’s this about, then?”

“You don’t have to say it if you’re not ready,” she appeases gently when Momo hesitates to explain.

“It’s complicated,” is all she says and Jeongyeon nods back. “I understand, just don’t think too much about it. You have a lot on your plate right now and preparations for our next comeback are underway, we need you.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine,” she yawns, flopping back onto the bed.

 __________

 

Momo is... exhausted (more so than she has ever been in her career as an idol) and the feeling is incomparable to finishing a concert or a full day of work. This was debilitating by all means, and the caffeine in her system has long done its job – the energy she stocked from her three hours of sleep just as depleted.

She’s waning; if her dull movements weren’t enough of an indicator than her timing was certainly a cause for concern because it’s so unlike her, but she prides herself in her dancing, and it’s through pride that she carries on and exerts too much in her footwork, resulting in an amateur mistake that sends her falling on the hard floor.

“I think that’s enough for today,” her choreographer says as he pauses the music blaring from the speakers.

She reaches for Ten’s outstretched hand. “No. I’ll be fine, really. I can go for a few more rounds,” she groans in pain when she’s pulled back up onto her feet.

“You two need to rest. The live show is tomorrow and we need you in top shape. You’ll only psych yourselves out if we keep going, besides, you know the routine – you’ve practiced it so many times already.” He says adamantly with his arms across his chest.

“But-“ she begins to protest but he stops her with a good-natured glare and she shrinks in defeat.

“Alright, fine,” she relents with a frown.

“Good. I’ll go get your managers.” He looks at Ten before sauntering off and says, “Stop her if she tries to do anything.”

The door to the practice room closes, Momo sinks back down and leans her back against the wall, pulling her phone out of her pocket and sighing at the time on the screen. It’s late, she observes, although she’s left later than this.

“What happened earlier?” Ten joins her side on the floor and nudges her softly with a bottle of water to catch her attention. “You don’t normally make mistakes.”

She shakes her head to decline the offer. “I have a lot on my mind.”

“Problems within your group?” he asks after taking a gulp of his own drink.

She tilts her head and ruminates the question. “Something like that,” she scrunches her face dejectedly.

“Problems with Mina?”

She snaps her head sharply to look at him, the smile on his face stretching wider when he realizes how right he was.

“How’d you know?”

He shrugs at her shocked expression and chuckles, “Your lock screen – that’s her, isn’t it?”

Momo directs her gaze at the image on display and comes face to face with the very picture she once regarded with contempt. She smiles fondly at Mina’s sleeping face and laughs lightly at hers.

“You kept staring at it all throughout our breaks,” the NCT member comments. “I figured it was about her.”

“Did you two get into a fight?” he presses gently.

“Not really. I don’t know,” she backtracks after a pause. “All I know is that we’re not exactly speaking to each other.”

“Something must have happened between you two, then?” he supposes.

“I guess so. I don’t know what it is though because she hasn’t said anything to me in awhile.” It hurt her to admit it, but denying it would only hurt her more.

“You shouldn’t worry yourself too much about it.”

“That’s what Jeongyeon told me,” she laughs bitterly at the familiar words.

“Well, she’s right,” he says boldly. “Until you know what the problem is, you shouldn’t put all your focus into it,” he remarks thoughtfully.

Momo sighs deeply. They’re right; her assumptions were overwhelming her, but she lacked an approach to relieve her muddled mind. “What should I do, then?”

“Talk to her,” he proposes.

She responds weakly with, “What if she doesn’t want to talk to me?”

“I’m sure she does.”

“How can you be so sure?” she counters.

“Mina doesn’t strike me as someone who’s upfront with her feelings so she needs a little push to say what’s on her mind.” He observes astutely, pausing to gather his thoughts before continuing on. “As much as she wants to keep what’s bothering her bottled up inside, I think she ultimately wants you to know.”

“I suppose…”

“Trust me, I watch your show. Some things are more obvious than others,” he states proudly with a smug grin; it lifts the sullen atmosphere and Momo laughs contagiously at her dance partner. This second shot at redemption to showcase her improved abilities was a blessing in disguise. Although she’s only due to appear as a guest, it inundated her with profound apprehension, but having Ten shoulder half the responsibility eased her, and in the time they’ve spent together, she’s gained another person she could call a friend.

The door swings open to her manager signaling for them to leave and Momo rises, catching her breath from all the laughter. She gathers her belongings and bids Ten goodbye, adding a sincere thank you that earns her another chuckle.

“Thank me once this is all over,” he shouts at her retreating form.

“If I remember to,” she retorts cheekily back at him.  “See you tomorrow,” Momo waves a hand at him before exiting the room.

__________ 

 

Mina knows she should be there.

The nagging thought in her mind only amplifies the truth in her heart that she knows she should be the one lending her support to Momo instead of Jihyo and Tzuyu, but she still found herself hesitating and inadvertently declining her invitation to go (she regretted it immediately upon looking at Momo’s crestfallen face).

This avoidance act was beginning to be too much for her. She thinks herself lost among the lies and loneliness that she’s spun, but in actuality she was receding back to her previous nature that she worked hard to overcome; what she fails to see is the ugliness of it all as bitterness contorts what was once her timidity and reticence into aloofness, all because she couldn’t allow herself the luxury to love one of her closest friends.

She’s tuned in to the live premiere of _Hit the Stage’s_ newest season, sitting and waiting for Momo to make her appearance.

She’s next; she anticipates after Hyoyeon’s solo performance ends and she returns to her seat to mingle with the contestants of the current season.

Sure enough, Momo and Ten appear on stage and the music starts. 

Even without her feelings, Mina would still be in awe of Momo’s abilities, and on the stage, pouring her heart into powerful yet delicate moves, she’s entranced by her. She smiles softly as the audience applauds the duo, and the cadence of her beating heart flows in rhythm with the effervescence she exhibits. 

It doesn’t take long for her jealousy to rear its head though, and when Ten brings her towards him to execute a sultry move, her stomach upends in a sickening manner and her jealousy claws at her. She looks away when they join again, face to face and inches apart. She takes a deep and ragged breath, reasoning with herself that they’re doing their job – doing what they’re passionate about, and harboring ill feelings for it will only end terribly for her. It’s enough to stunt the upheaval of cries rising to her throat, and she makes it through their performance, shaking yet with minimal impact to her already battered heart.

The music fades and they finish off their partnership with a tight hug and a bow to the audience. She watches Momo uncharacteristically gasping for air as the host joins her and Ten to conduct a short interview before they exit the stage, her discerning eyes noticing Momo’s wobbly legs and Ten’s hold on her shoulders, supporting her leaning figure.

The show cuts to a commercial break, returning shortly after a PSA about fatigue and a follow-up advertisement for a new line of energy supplements. But Momo’s nowhere in sight among old and new contestants alike, and when the camera pans to Jihyo and Tzuyu’s seats, they’re unoccupied, and she wonders if they left early. It was odd though, they didn’t mention any other schedule and as far as she’s aware, this was their only obligation for the day. It takes another commercial break for her to phone to ring and she picks it up, briefly looking at the name on the screen.

“Jihyo?” she answers, bewildered by the sudden call. There’s no reply other than the shuffling and rushed sentences the phone picks up in the background. They were disconcerting to say the least and she was steadily growing anxious; she reiterates her leader’s name and receives hers as a response just seconds later after she hears her comforting a sniffling Tzuyu.

“Mina?” Jihyo calls for her in between short breaths and the sound of her shoes urgently moving on tiled floors.

She doesn’t foresee what her leader says next or thoroughly remember what transpires between this moment and her meeting with the others hours later, only that her mind hazes thick with concern at the haunting distress of Jihyo’s words, “Something happened to Momo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't get the chance to reply to the last chapter's comments before posting this chapter, but I just wanted to let you all know that I've read them and it makes me happy that you take the time to write one. I hope you continue to write more with each new chapter! I'll do my best to make this story enjoyable!!
> 
> Special thanks to @wisteriamemory_ for her drawing of Momo and Mina's last scene in chapter 4! Definitely follow her if you're ever craving for MiMo!


	6. Beyond Our Fears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beware of typos and grammatical errors!

“Unnie, should you be moving around like that?” Chaeyoung asks with worried curiosity at the sight of Momo stretching and jumping around in the confines of the older member’s bedroom. Her head bobs up and down, following each sporadic movement the girl performs, all the while holding her breath and praying that she doesn’t injure herself.

“I’m fine if that’s what you’re asking,” comes the out of breath reply as Momo puts an abrupt stop to her jumping to position herself on the floor, proceeding with her spontaneous work out with a round of sit-ups.

Chaeyoung sits down on the lone bed, running a hand through her hair. “But it’s only been four days since you left the hospital,” she expels with a sigh; exasperated at the poor control she has over the girl. It’s confounding how much energy she’s exhibiting when the reason for her admission was a lack thereof from fatigue, but a period of enforced rest proved to be the imperative key to her quick recovery and she was released just as swiftly as she was admitted but only on the grounds that she continues to recuperate at home.

“Exactly! I’ve done nothing since then,” Momo counters with a grunt as she pulls herself up. “I think I’ve spent enough time idling.”

Her break is well needed, by all means, but days on end with nothing to do shaped up to be quite mundane for her. Furthermore, her desire to return to work and her unwillingness to cooperate after the second day overwhelmed the rest of the girls, resulting in them drawing lots to decide who will keep her company for each day on leave to ensure that another mishap doesn’t happen.

“You were ordered to rest; that’s completely different from idling,” Chaeyoung frowns as her argument fails to dissuade Momo from continuing.

The bedroom door creaks open as Jeongyeon pushes through, “Chaeng, how’s Mo–“ she stops mid-sentence, stumbling upon the scene and looking between an apologetic Chaeyoung and a red-faced Momo.

“Jihyo! She’s doing it again!” She shouts behind her. 

She crosses the room; setting down whatever herbal concoction Sana decided to brew up in their kitchen on the bedside table.

“Shouldn’t you be resting?”

Momo halts with one final movement, blowing puffs of air as she catches her breath.

“I’ve been resting since I was discharged.”

She stares at the item Jeongyeon brought along with her and crinkles her nose (she thoroughly regrets agreeing to try out Sana’s grandmother’s homemade remedies for exhaustion).

She’s pulled up from the floor and Jeongyeon sits her down on the bed next to Chaeyoung. Her roommate shoves the drink in her hand; she frowns at the unappealing color and shudders at the forthcoming taste that will soon invade her mouth. She hastily chugs the mixture, nearly choking on the bitterness – her contorted expression of contempt draws a laugh from the youngest person there.

A soft padding of footsteps invades the room and stops just as she downs the last drop of her drink. “Momo, I thought I told you to stay in bed,” the owner chastises pointedly with her hands on her hips.

“I am in bed,” she retorts cheekily.

She looks up at Jihyo’s unamused glare and sighs. “I know you’re all concerned about me but I’m okay now, really,” she says firmly. “I just want to get back out there and do something.”

“Doing things is exactly what led you to collapse,” Jeongyeon comments as she retrieves the glass in Momo’s hand, it earns her nods from Jihyo and Chaeyoung and a groan from the remaining member.

“I know that, and it’s my fault for taking in more than I could handle, but I know my limits now so I would really like it if I could resume my schedules,” she pleads, trying to chip away at the stern girl standing by the doorframe.

“I know you mean well by keeping yourself busy but you need to be more-“

“-Responsible, I get it,” she finishes for her; she rolls her eyes at the familiar words her leader has come to always scold her by her and smiles when Jihyo narrows her eyes at her, catching her blatant display of annoyance.

“Good. We don’t need you worrying us like that again. It really took a toll on us, you know – especially on Mina,” her expression softens as she relays the effects of her incident.

It throws her off guard to hear of Mina’s concern, and it shouldn’t (it terrifies her that it does), but they have yet to make any sort of reparations and she’s lost hope that the girl still cares for her because she’s neither approached her or visited her while she was in the hospital so all she can ask is “What happened to Mina?”

Chaeyoung answers from beside her with, “Mina unnie was so worried about you that she barely ate or slept while you were gone.”

“We thought she’d end up in the hospital, too. It’s a good thing you recovered quickly,” Jeongyeon adds with a relieved sigh.

Jihyo shakes her head in frustration. “You two may be on the same page about a lot of things, but negligence shouldn’t be one of them.”

“I’m sorry, I’ll- we’ll be more careful,” she corrects herself, hoping it’ll help alleviate their worries.

“That’s all we want from you,” she receives in return with an approving nod.

“So...now that we got that out of the way, can I please start working again?”

Maybe it’s her determination to work or Jihyo’s tired of keeping up her rigid stance in the face of Momo’s constant begging, but her question whittles down the last of her resolve and she finally relents with a heavy sigh.

“Alright, fine. I’ll talk to manager unnie about your other jobs, but as far as I know, you’re only recording your lines for our next album.”

She leaps up from her place on the bed and tackles her in a fierce hug. “Thanks, Jihyo.”

“Just make sure you take care of yourself, we can’t always be there if something happens again,” her leader laughs at Momo’s uncontainable excitement, returning the tight hug she found herself trapped in.

__________ 

 

Mina is the next unlucky soul to preside over Momo’s recovery, a task that should have been Sana’s but was quickly passed over to her among lines of profuse apologies and hurried readiness as the Osaka native made way for the studio to record her parts.

There’s a thick and stagnant layer or awkwardness that blankets the duo; they’ve been sitting across from each other for more than an hour with only a simple greeting exchanged between the two to acknowledge that the skittish girl was in fact there in her room and not a fabrication of her sleep-hazed mind. The atmosphere is tense and stifling; each subtle movement that produces even the tiniest of sounds sends a palpitating jolt of unease throughout Mina’s body. The varying levels of discomfort she wears are made much more evident from the light that bounces off of her face from the phone in her hands. She reached the peak of her anxiety even before she entered, and Momo – well, she’s on her way to dying from the stillness that’s enveloped her since her return from the hospital.

The rustling of sheets startles Mina and she chances a glance at Momo, catching the girl staring back at her. She quickly lowers her gaze back down to her game, watching big and bright letters spell ‘ _Game Over’_ on the screen as the speakers emit a doleful tune to accompany the message.

A dry cough from the bed follows as Momo swings her legs over the edge.

“Mina?” She calls out with hesitance because she’s unsure if they’re even on speaking grounds.

“Yes?” Mina answers just as unsure as she is. She occupies herself with her phone, unwilling to fully participate in the conversation.

“Can we, you know-“ she picks vacantly at her sheets, watching Mina’s brows rise as a sign for her to continue.

“Can we maybe go somewhere?” she manages to ask.

Mina hits another impasse in her game and exits the app in mild frustration finally looking at Momo once her phone reaches her pocket, “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she mutters in a low voice.

“Right… Yeah, I figured you’d say that,” Momo mumbles with a disgruntled breath, breaking eye contact with the younger one.

“Momo-“ she begins to say, carefully choosing her words once she senses her disappointment.

“We just don’t want to see you get hurt again,” she winces internally at her hypocrisy – she’s probably hurt her more by ceasing their friendship.

“You all say that but don’t you think keeping me confined here does more harm than good?” Momo challenges bitterly.

She apologizes with unprecedented speed when she realizes just how scathingly intense she sounds. She doesn’t place the blame on anyone, it’s certainly not Mina’s fault – each member has conveyed that it isn’t hers too, but she’s been slowly steeping in her scornful ire that sulking has somehow changed her perception on the whole matter. Lashing out just seems like a better outlet to express it and be heard.

She softens her tone with much consideration, “I appreciate what you’re all doing, but I don’t think you realize that the only thing I want is for things to go back to the way they were.” 

Her words hit Mina with dizzying whiplash.

 _That’s what I want, too,_ she admits to herself.

She understands the aggravating nature of the girl’s predicament. If the situation were reversed, she’d surely feel the same way as her, but she also understands the orders given to her and why they needed to be followed through.

Yet somehow seeing her so despondent tears her, and she misses filming their show, and seeing Momo’s smile, and talking like nothing happened, and –

_I just want everything to be normal again._

“I don’t think JYP will be happy if he ever finds out that you want to go against his wishes.”

“I know...”

“And your doctor specifically said you can’t do anything strenuous.”

“Yeah…”

“Not to mention the fact that it’ll probably cause some inconvenience for our management team if we’re spotted.”

Momo nods weakly, realizing that there’s no way for her to escape her miserable loop until they deem her fit enough to proceed with her schedules.

“So if we go out we’ll have to be very careful and keep this between us.”

She snaps her head to look at Mina. It’s not like her to be disobedient so she searches her face for any mistakes made but only finds the small, mischievous smile plastered out of sympathy.

Momo grins, doubling it with profound happiness at the idea of finally being able to step out of their home. She wants to hug Mina just as she had done to Jihyo, but she suppresses the urge and settles with an excited squeal instead.

__________ 

 

They fall back into a routine that isn’t quite theirs any more. It’s not as standard and clear as it once was; it branches and frays into an almost incessant uneasiness that has Mina on edge, only to coalesce back to a comforting pace that brings with it better memories of the pair.

She tries hard to keep up because Momo tries even harder to slow down for her sake, but this isn’t about Mina (not this time anyway). This is Momo’s time to enjoy herself; it’s her day and it’s her moment, so she trails her movements like a shadow until it’s time to return because she’s deserving of some hours spent away from a place that’s been more enervating than revitalizing.

They’ve been out for the better half of their afternoon, wandering around Seoul in the frigid days of early December. They walk with no motives or any prior planning done – just keeping each other company in what Momo thinks is Mina’s best efforts as of late.

And when the hours of their secret escapade stretches to three, Momo drags Mina inside a quaint restaurant at the behest of her hungry stomach, and the latter readily accepts it as a needed respite from the nipping weather outside.

“I can’t believe you ate so much.” Mina remarks with a sweeping glance at the stack of plates neatly placed on one side of the table she and Momo occupied. “And you’re still eating,” she watches on in disbelief as Momo shovels a heaping amount of her melon sorbet with her spoon and directs it into her mouth. She’s grown accustomed and has seen firsthand the girl’s insatiable and incorrigible appetite. While she doesn’t think she’s a picky eater, Momo has been known to stray from certain items and no amount of convincing could persuade her to consume them, but watching her eat with no prejudice and reservation towards food she’d normally avoid seems almost alarming and out of character for her.

“I’ve been living off of Sana’s weird herbal medicines, give me a break.” She replies through a mouthful of her dessert.

Her response evokes a genuine giggle from Mina and she stops mid-scoop to beam a smile of her own because it’s been so long since she’s heard her laugh.

“I’ll admit that they never looked appetizing,” Mina discloses casually.

“They taste worst than they look,” she grins, savoring the last bite of her meal before dropping her spoon into the empty glass. She leans back into her chair with a pat to her stomach, sighing in satisfaction and watching the younger one prop an arm up on the table to rest her chin in her hand.

“Do they help at all?” Mina questions with a tilt of her head. Sana had explained the beneficial properties of each ingredient that went into the mixture but she had disregarded her with skepticism after witnessing her throw in marshmallows in place of marshmallow roots in a blend of other outrageous and miscellaneous components.

“I think _this_ has been more helpful than whatever the others have tried to do for me,” she looks around and chuckles, gesturing openly at her surroundings and returning her gaze back to Mina.

“Thank you, by the way. You really didn’t have to do this.”

“After everything that’s happened, I felt like I had to. You seemed miserable.”

“I was but I understand why you did it.”

“Did it upset you?”

“It did… for awhile. Even though I was part of the problem I felt like I didn’t have any other choice but to endure it.”

“I’m sorry if it hurt you.”

“It’s alright, sometimes we do things with the right intentions but it still finds a way to hurt others, ourselves included.”

“Right…”

“It seemed like something you would do anyway. Finding a way to protect someone while also protecting yourself, I mean.”

“What-“

“Although I probably would’ve done it differently. But I guess it still stands, sometimes you just need to keep yourself at a distance so you won’t get hurt in the process watching someone you care for suffer.”

There’s a fleeting moment of clarity where she wonders if they’re still talking about Momo’s recovery or if they were somehow touching upon the matter of her abrupt aloofness towards her. She swallows the dry lump in her throat because she feels exposed and open to Momo’s interrogation if she so wished to question her, but the brevity of that moment passes with a quickness like a blink of an eye and she finds herself clearing her throat and standing, telling a confused Momo that they should leave. 

“We should probably go. I’ll pay and-“

Momo stands shortly after and offers to pay for their meal as a sign of gratitude. “Let me. It’s the least I can do,” she asserts when Mina makes a move to fetch her wallet from her bag. 

She nods dumbly and proceeds to walk out and wait outside, finding the air in the establishment suddenly too thick and stifling to breathe.

Her breathing steadies itself, having found something to occupy her thoughts with other than the member that’s still inside the restaurant. She looks at the paper in her hands that had been handed to her in passing, perusing its flat surface for its content.

“What’s that?” She flinches at the intrusion and turns around to face Momo. Her heart quickens from the surprise, ignoring the fact that it might not just be Momo’s sudden appearance that has her so flustered (the blush on her face is a clear indication of that).

“A new exhibit at the aquarium...” Momo peers forward, reading the flyer slowly. “Do you want to check it out?”

“Ah, well... I think it’s too late for that,” she answers hesitantly.

“We can be quick about it,” Momo encourages, “you like these sort of things, right?” 

Had Mina not been so oblivious she would have noticed Momo’s not-so-subtle attempt at extending her time with her. 

“I do but I don’t think we have enough time for that.”

“Oh, then how about we go another day?” Momo proposes, hoping Mina will agree so they can start repairing their misshapen relationship into something that resembles even a minuscule form of what they had. 

“I suppose, maybe-“

“Great! It’ll be like a date!” Momo exclaims excitedly.

“D-Date? Wha- ah!” A chilly gust of wind blows the flyer out of her hands lifting it up and over them with minimal effort when her grip loosened from her earlier astonishment.

“I’ll get it,” Momo rushes to say in her eagerness to win over and stay on Mina’s good side. She chases after the loose paper, stumbling every so often from the slippery ground.

“Momo, wait!” Mina yells after her. 

“Stop! You’ll hurt yo-“

Other witnesses would say it happened in a flash but when Mina remembers this moment she thinks it transpired so agonizingly slow that she can recall every detail of Momo’s fall because of how long she stood there processing it.

Watching her fall with a hard thud drenches her in a cold fear that is just as icy as the ground beneath her; she immediately runs with feverish strides until she reaches the girl. She drops down unceremoniously on her knees, ignoring the pain that comes from her actions and reaches out with trembling hands at the unmoving body. She flips Momo onto her back with an almost manic concern, checking each extremity with great care because god – this isn’t good, and she regrets taking her out because this wouldn’t have happened if they just stayed inside, and why did she have to chase that stupid paper, and her heart feels like it’s about to give out and Momo she-

-she is- she’s...

...laughing?

She drops the limp hand she was inspecting and trails her gaze upwards, watching Momo’s fallen body shake with each bubble of laughter that breaks from her mouth. 

“Are you okay?” Mina questions with an air of relief mixed with a tinge of annoyance. How can Momo be so easygoing at a time like this?

The girl in question opens her eyes, settling for crescent slits to block the brightness of the sun hanging behind Mina’s head; she nods swiftly at her. “I just feel a bit strange,” she chuckles, looking back at her concerned friend.

Mina softens her tone and cranes her neck, searching for any injuries to her head. “Did you hurt yourself?” 

“No. It’s more like the opposite of that,” she pushes herself up to sit; the snow beneath her hands crunch, giving way to her weight. 

“I haven’t felt this good in a long time.” She sighs freely.

“You really scared me,” Mina furrows her brows together in vexation. “You could’ve hurt yourself again.”

“I’m sorry,” she apologizes lightheartedly as a hand smacks her shoulder.

“You know, for someone who didn’t even visit me while I was hospitalized, you’re showing a lot of concern right now.” She chuckles again, the mirth in her tone placates Mina’s quivering nerves, calming her with each sound until her shoulders fall into relaxation.

Mina replies with a scoff and a well-mannered smile. “Do I have to be around you to show I care?” 

She rolls her eyes and speaks with deliberate surliness, “I guess not but it would’ve been nice if you came.”

“Maybe I just didn’t want to see you,” Mina smirks teasingly at her.

Momo flinches in mild repugnance, affronted by what she had just said. “I resent that, a lot of people wanted to see me,” she returns, leering at the younger one, “they still do,” she finishes with feigned arrogance.

Mina plays along, enjoying their little game and adds, “Are you sure you didn’t hurt your head, or is your celebrity status finally getting to you, Hirai? It doesn’t hurt to be humble every now and then.”

“Whatever the case, I don’t think that’s my problem to fix,” Momo waves a hand flippantly.

“Oh? I suppose you have many people who handle all your problems for you,” Mina poses with an arched brow.

“I have just one.” She replies with a casualness that entices the other to ask out of genuine curiosity.

“And who’s burdened with the great responsibility of knocking you down a few pegs?”

The corners of Momo’s lips rise with a menacing grin as her hand claws inconspicuously at the ground.

“That would be my wife, _Hirai-san_.” She scoops a generous amount of snow and chucks it at the unsuspecting Mina, eliciting a surprised yelp from the sudden coldness that comes into contact with her exposed skin.

An ensuing battle erupts as they pelt each other with no hesitation – their shrieks of joy fill their thankfully empty surroundings as flurries of snow are exchanged in merciless onslaughts.

Mina gains the upper hand minutes into their fight, inundating Momo with one final snowball to her face as the older of the two fails to evade her unrelenting attack. Momo concedes her failing assault on her, laughing along as excess snow falls from their bodies. She reaches a hand up to gently wipe the younger one’s face, removing any remnants of their winter war and leaving her looking as pristine as she was before.

They haven’t been this close in a long time, Momo observes astutely as her hand brushes Mina’s cheek. She welcomes the fluttering in her stomach when Mina thanks her silently with a warm smile, dusting her shoulders off in return and adjusting the scarf around her neck. Her feelings akin to that of euphoria intensify and radiate throughout her whole body with each touch Mina bestows on her – she’s been chasing the high she receives from minimal interactions between them, but no previous sensation can compare to the superior feeling she’s basking in now. She takes the time to study her face, engraving each feature into her mind until she memorizes every minute detail her eyes come upon.

Unbeknownst to her, Mina is doing the same thing. Her hands have been fixated on Momo’s coat for an unnecessary amount of time now, drawing out the moment for as long as she can because she doesn’t want it to end, but her mind and heart conduct another war of internal conflicts and she withdraws with hidden sadness. 

You want this, let it happen; her heart persuades her. 

You’ll hurt yourself if you do; her mind argues.

She’s caught in between as the two opposing sides procure their reasons.

“Mina,” Momo utters barely above a whisper, scouring her face for any sign to signify that they’re okay. She finds none and it’s so disheartening for her, but it doesn’t deter her from continuing.

“I miss you,” she says with a blistering ache that sinks from her chest to her stomach. 

Mina’s throat constricts just as her mind lands on another reason for her not to fall deeper into Momo’s grasp (it speaks louder than the beating of her heart and she takes it as an indication that it has won this match).

Her phone chimes a cheerful chirp and she recedes away from Momo, withering into herself and standing promptly as she fishes the device out of her coat pocket. She scans the screen, languidly reading out of mental and physical exhaustion, sighing in dismay when she finishes.

“That was Sana.” She says weakly, stretching out her hand and pulling her up, inching further back once Momo rises. “We should go, they’ll be home soon.”

Momo was so close to mending their relationship, but as always Mina pushes back her efforts and she replies with evident disappointment. “Okay…”

She clutches the crumpled paper she caught in one hand, stifling the need to hold one of Mina’s in her other as she watches her walk away with no intent of waiting. She follows with heavy steps and an even heavier heart towards their way back home, throwing away the flyer in the nearest trashcan that comes her way.

__________ 

 

This is too much; the silence that descends the duo is too much for Momo, and she had hoped that spending time with Mina would mitigate the tension between them but it had somehow distorted it even further. They reached the dorm, lacking in any conversation but brimming with apprehension. Momo wants to say something – anything to gain back their brief moment of normalcy but nothing short of exploding and unleashing a tirade of pent up emotions pop into her head, and she resorts to biting the inside of her mouth to stop herself from doing any more damage.

They’re standing there in the middle of her room, damp and quiet and looking at each other with want and need and a million unsaid words that just need to be spoken. 

“I’ll get us some towels,” Mina manages to utter amongst the pressing words that she really wants to say. “I’ll be back.”

She turns around with haste, nearing the closed door with heavy and hurried steps.

Momo somehow believes she won’t return and she’ll never see her again despite living in the same house as her and her obligations that tie her to the group. Her breath hitches and panic takes hold of her when Mina’s hand reaches the knob; she feels herself releasing everything that she’s kept away – she doesn’t want to lose her. And what she says next might widen the rift between them but there’s no way for her to care less; she wants her to know that it hurts. It hurts too much for her to keep experiencing the push and pull of Mina’s fickleness when they both know that it doesn’t have to be this way.

“You can’t keep doing this to me.” Momo balls her hands into fists, clenching them tighter with each word she strikes onto Mina’s retreating form.

It stops her, effectively pinning Mina to her spot. She loosens her tight grip on the doorknob – her white knuckles return to their original hue, and she listens with perked ears, anticipating what Momo has to say.

“You can’t pretend like you care about me and then go back to ignoring me again.” Her strained voice reaches her, coming off gravelly in her ears.

“I do care about you,” Mina musters quietly, crestfallen that she would think otherwise.

She turns around to face her. “I-I just-“

“You suddenly stopped talking to me one day without any explanation, and I was left to wonder if I did anything wrong,” Momo’s words taper off as she falters.

She swallows the lump in her throat and renews her stance, “But if I did do something to cause this, please tell me so I can fix it because it hurts not being able to talk to you.”

“Momo...”

“Mitang, please... I just want us to be okay again.”

It occurs to her that she hasn’t been called by that name in such a long time. The despair laced in the pleading tone of Momo’s voice cuts straight through her heart. The sharp pain twists and jabs, tearing it into two, and it renders her into a shaking mess because she’s only ever heard her call her by that name in the sweetest tone that was always free of agony and full of cheer – hearing it now sounds so foreign in her ears.

Her voice, in turn, quivers with desperation for her to know that it wasn’t done out of spite, “I’m sorry, it was never my intention to make you feel that way.”

“Why did you do it, then?” Momo questions loudly and it resounds clear as day in the room – each murmur of an echo feeds Mina’s growing guilt.

She winces hard, “You won’t understand.”

“Then make me!” Her frustrations rise to unimaginable levels – would it be too much for the other girl to be honest with her?

Mina steps forward, wary and unsure.

_Why did she do it?_

She had many reasons; each of them reaches her mouth, all ready to be said, and all ready to be heard, but she swallows them because none could fully suffice as an answer the other would find acceptable and not trivial. There’s a strong force that overwhelms her senses, compelling her to be honest and to spill every ounce of thought bottled up inside of her. She engages it, fighting for dominance and control of what she does next, but she ultimately loses and succumbs against her will as her body closes the gap between her and Momo in a searing kiss.

Momo’s shock is incomparable to Mina’s mortification. Mina stumbles back seconds into their kiss with pure shame and unshed tears stinging her eyes, and what remains of her already torn heart shatters into what seems like irreparable pieces.

“Do you understand now?” Mina asks, clasping a hand to her chest as shockwaves of aching heartache wrack her body.

“I d-did it _because_ I care about you, and it s-scares me how much you mean to me. I-I’m sorry if I hurt you, but the hold you have on me is frightening,” she suppresses a cry that’s slowly rising to her throat, “a-and running away from my feelings felt like it was the only way I could take control of my life again.”

“You did it because… you like me?” Momo whispers in incredulity. Her fingers graze her mouth, failing to mimic the touch of Mina’s lips.

_Mina likes me._

Mina’s vision blurs as tears trickle down her face; this isn’t how she wanted to confess, it was never meant to be said out of anguish, but the floodgate keeping her emotions in check was now open and there’s no point in closing it.

_She has feelings for me._

“I never meant to hurt you, but being around you hurt me, too... I-I was scared, I still am.”

She lowers her head, averting the older girl’s gaze. She feels utterly vulnerable and the need to hide washes over her; she doesn’t want Momo to see her in such a distraught state.

_We like each other._

Conviction fills Momo’s body as she gathers the courage to finally respond. She comes to her senses as the cogs in her head move; she steps forward (she counts up to three before reaching her) and starts off with a slow, comforting pace.

“It’s scary, I know... but if we let fear dictate our lives and choose to run away when it matters the most, we may lose our chance to find happiness,” she says, easing her words into Mina to try to dispel her sadness. 

Warm hands find Mina’s cheeks, and they cup them, raising her head up so she can look at the girl standing in front of her. “Mina, I won’t run away from you, and I don’t want you to run away from me,” Momo says gently, wiping away the tears on her face.

Mina looks up at her with hope that there’s truth in her words because she’s tired of lying and it would so unbearable for Momo to start.

“What are you saying?”

A small smile spreads itself on the older girl’s face. “Did it ever occur to you that I might have feelings for you?”

She shakes her head and sniffles, “I was too engrossed in the idea that you’d reject me that I never considered the possibility that you’d return my feelings.” 

How Mina could find it so inconceivable for anyone to like her, especially Momo, goes beyond her range of understanding because it’s her, she’s _Myoui Mina_ – it’s not so difficult to fall for her and she wishes she had realized it sooner.

Told her sooner.

She has to tell her now.

“Well then, this is me telling you that I like you, too,” the last thing she sees before Momo leans in to capture her lips in a soft kiss is the sincerity in her eyes, and it takes her a second to respond because she’s wanted this for a while now, but she was too scared of the consequences, too scared of the feelings that would arise from all of this, too scared to act upon her desires even though happiness stood beyond her fears.

Something hits her when she finally returns the kiss – truth perhaps as the shroud of her false pretenses falls, and it knocks a sense of realization into her that there will always be uncertainty in the search for happiness, and for her to find immeasurable joy would certainly mean to face her greatest worries. It doesn’t seem as unsettling as it once was because Momo’s with her, and she may very well be the thing that incites her clashing emotions, but she would go near and far to have it all so she embraces her fears, kisses her happiness once more, and smiles because peace finally roots itself within her.

“Are we okay now?” Momo questions when they part – all she can do is answer with a tearful laugh and another kiss because yes, they’re okay.

__________ 

 

Matters of the heart always stood in the periphery of Momo’s priorities, but it had somehow crept through to the center and she’s now prepossessed by it; she’s had qualms about being in a relationship (there were many aspects of the concept that she felt reluctant to go through because of her inexperience), but to have fallen deep for someone like Mina, it lessened her hesitancy and she couldn’t help but want to try it all with the girl despite how unversed she was at dating.

And sure, they haven’t mentioned their newfound relationship to the other girls yet (it’s become somewhat of an unspoken agreement to keep it between them for the time being despite her wanting them to know), but she allows herself to indulge on this act of selfishness because she also wants Mina – needs her all to herself, and in the messy space of their dorm’s basement she has her locked in her arms as their lips glide against each other in a passion-filled kiss.

The moment doesn’t last nearly as long as she wants it to because she hears footsteps descending the stairs so she pulls apart from Mina with a forceful push, inadvertently knocking her down onto the hard floor.

“Momo unnie? Mina unnie?” Dahyun sleepily inquires from the last step, “Why are you two still up? We have a commercial to shoot tomorrow, shouldn’t you be sleeping?” She yawns and rubs her eyes.

“Ahh yes, well...” Momo begins to say, glancing down at Mina for help. “We were just-“

“Practicing!” Mina finishes for her; a bright blush paints her cheeks at the double meaning of her words.

“Yeah, practicing! Mina was helping with my lines,” Momo adds wide-eyed at her choice for an excuse.

Dahyun squints her eyes, focusing her hazy vision at the two figures.

“Oh, I see. Mina unnie, why are you sitting on the floor, there’s a lot of space on the couch with Momo unnie.” 

“I’m much more comfortable down here.”

“Okay? Momo unnie, are you alright? Your face is flushed.”

“I’m fine! 

“Are you sure, becau-“

“You know what? You’re right it’s late. We should all go to bed,” Momo clears her dry throat, dismissing Dahyun’s innocent attempt to decipher why they were in this odd situation that shouldn’t be occurring in the middle of the night.

Mina nods and stands up, patting the dust off of her sleepwear before joining Dahyun.

“Come on, Dahyun. I’ll walk you to your room. We don’t want you tripping over anything with your bad eyesight,” she shoves the girl lightly up the stairs and winks at Momo before disappearing. 

Momo sighs heavily.

The moment didn’t last nearly as long as their previous encounters but she considers it okay because this has become their new routine, and when the following night comes they’ll find themselves down here again, re-enacting something that they’ve been doing for a few weeks now, and that’s enough to sustain her so she trudges up to her room and sleeps in restlessness, dreaming of Mina.

“Momo. Mina. We need to talk,” Jihyo approaches the pair the following day with the rest of the members in tow. 

Had it been another situation, Momo’s first priority would’ve been to laugh at the sight of the girls dressed heavily in their commercial sponsored winter wear (they look like angry marshmallows, she observes amusedly) but Jihyo musters an authoritative air and she gulps nervously at the ensuing discussion about to take place.

They sit around a table set by the crew for them to lounge around during breaks, waiting patiently for someone to start. Mina has been fidgeting uncomfortably next to her so she settles a hand on her thigh to lessen her worry as Jihyo coughs to gain their attention.

“It’s come to my attention that some of us here have been finding your recent behaviors as problematic, and it’s affecting the group as a whole,” their leader conducts plainly.

“What do you mean?” Momo inquires, confused and unaware of why they would feel that way. _Did they find out about us_ , she asks herself.

“She means you’ve been annoying the hell out of us!” Jeongyeon snarls, taking a swig of her coffee afterwards.

“Unnie!” Tzuyu and Chaeyoung hiss at her.

“Don’t start, you two. You don’t share a room with either of them so you don’t know how we feel.” Nayeon comments with a shake of her head.

Dahyun pipes up next, coming to her roommates’ defense. “We may not room with them but we’ve all probably experienced it one way or another.”

“What are we even talking about?” Momo asks dumbly.

“We’re talking about how your late night activities, whatever they are, are keeping the rest of us up,” Sana snaps angrily at the girls sitting directly in front of her.

“How is that a problem exactly?” Mina responds meekly, thoroughly embarrassed by the unwanted attention.

Jihyo expels a tired sigh, “It’s a problem because we almost didn’t make it to this shoot on time due to our makeup artists spending a much longer period trying to cover the bags under your eyes.”

“And Momo unnie, despite Dahyun unnie telling us that you and Mina unnie practiced your lines last night, you still had to do your part ten times for you to get them right.” Tzuyu comments with a disappointing frown.

Chaeyoung groans next to her. “You had two lines, unnie. Two!” 

“There’s still the matter of us losing sleep because of you two.” Sana scowls bitterly at them.

“Mina, I’m glad to see you out and about when we’re at home, but waking up in the middle of the night to see you crawl into bed has been putting a damper on my beauty sleep,” Nayeon says with a flip of her hair.

“And you,” Jeongyeon points a finger at Momo, “even when you’re not sneaking off in the middle of the night, you still find a way to keep me up when you’re in bed. It’s hard to sleep through your constant texting and random squealing!”

Momo blushes furiously at her accusation and mutters a sincere apology to her roommate.

“What do you want us to do?” She adds forthright.

Jihyo looks around, exchanging a knowing glance with the rest of the girls.

“We’ve discussed it and we’ve come up with a solution that we can all benefit from.”

“Mina will move in to your room and Jeongyeon will move out,” Sana addresses bluntly.

“It’ll be perfect! You two can stay up all night, although I truly hope you don’t, without bothering us. And with Jeongyeon around, our room will finally be mess free.” Jihyo pats the girl’s back with a proud smile on her face.

“Wait, that wasn’t part of the agreement!” Jeongyeon retaliates; it unfortunately falls on deaf ears.

The eldest member looks at them expectantly, “What do you think?”

“If we’ve been causing you trouble-“ Mina begins, quietly ruminating the proposal as a series of indignant agreements of “you have” and “please let us sleep” interrupt her; she continues with, “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to go through with your idea.”

She offers Momo a small smile that rewards her with a reassuring squeeze of her hand. And just like that, Mina and Jeongyeon’s belongings are moved to their new respective rooms once they return to their dorm.

It’s an unsteady transition when Mina considers the length of time that she’s been dating Momo and to move in with her in the span of weeks makes her feel like they’re moving too fast, but she assures herself that it’s fine, that they’re okay, that they will be for a long time, and it’s enough to calm her down.

She had kept herself at arms length, restraining herself out of fear, but along the way love buries itself deep and unmoving, and it’s too soon to say if she’s in love, but before she can she has to let herself feel and fall–

“Are you coming to bed?” Momo asks her that night.

Mina cuts the harness that has suspended her from falling deeper into Momo. She snips each line with sureness and a lack of doubt, and when the last strap of uncertainty snaps, her whole being plunges into the depths of Momo’s love, and the girl catches her and holds her tight – never letting go and never forgetting the bonds that tie them together and the happiness that’s not just hers but theirs.

She responds by giving her a tender smile and a small nod and she follows after her.

It’s too soon to say if she’s in love, but she admits to herself that she is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! It's been awhile, sorry for taking such a long time. October was a rough month for me so I had to put off writing this chapter but I finally finished it somehow despite how busy I've been so I hope you enjoy it. As always thank you for your support! Please let me know what you think about it! I love hearing from you guys! 
> 
> Random side note: I slipped in a small Choice and Timing easter egg because I love that fic so much!


	7. What If?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been 84 years but your least favorite writer is back with a new chapter! I put in a lot of work and effort to bring this to you and I have to say that I'm proud of the outcome. Enjoy reading and please leave a comment afterwards because I love hearing from you. Feel free to yell at me on twitter @parzephyr!

It’s a calm Sunday by way of light snow and no pressing schedules to adhere to when Mina, dazed and a heavy yawn at the back of her throat, wakes up to reacquaint herself with a bed way too big and cold for one person to feel comfortable in. 

She should be at ease when she considers the similar size of her very own in her parents’ home in Japan, and thankful that it had more space to laze around in than the single bed in the dorm she previously called hers (size aside, the sense of comfort it exuded and its ability to lull her straight to a dream-filled state were just a few reasons why it was one of her favorite places to be in), but sharing one barely big enough for two and waking up in a mess of tangled limbs outclassed the luxury she grew accustomed to — an admittance she would readily confess should the occasion arise, having discovered a preference to nestling close to Momo despite warm nights and the occasional murmurs from her partner.

She shifts about lazily in her post-slumber haze, opting to sit up seconds later to help her wake up. Her yawn escapes her and dwindles into a languid sigh as she leans against the bed’s headboard and scans the room for its other occupant. She’s alone but a quick swipe of her phone’s screen and no messages from her girlfriend informing her that she left tells her that Momo should still be nearby. 

There’s a short moment of silence when her eyes glance at the time on her phone and she watches the minutes change before she hears muffled footsteps beyond the door. It opens with a slow creak and a head of dark hair peeks surreptitiously from outside, confirming her assumption of Momo’s whereabouts. 

Spotting a now awake Mina, Momo pushes the door fully open, a hand still gripping the knob and her lips widen into a smile that melts her into a senseless puddle of fondness and warmth, “As much as I love watching you knit until you fall asleep,” she begins with a jest-filled tone in her voice, “perhaps you’d actually like to go out and do something today.”

“We can grab something to eat if you’re hungry, or maybe go for a stroll.”

It’s a busy sequence of music programs, fan signs, constant traveling, and a commercial shoot or two that easily persuades her to take Momo up on her offer because their obligations for their current comeback have outstripped them of any time left to spend together.

“I think a walk would be nice,” Mina says after gauging the weather outside — the view from the window looks absolutely frigid, and she’ll surely regret spending too much time in the cold as opposed to staying in, but she hasn’t had the liberty to spend time outside of their dorm, so yes, a walk would be nice, if not refreshing.

“Sounds good to me.”

As a result of her career, Mina has never expected any remaining semblance of normalcy to be fully intact. By extension, there has always been an underlying current of discretion that flowed steadily to her private life, but her relationship had enraged her coursing need for privacy, leading her to seek it obstinately at every chance given to her.

While going out and presenting herself for others to see may go against her desire to keep hidden, engaging in these activities always brought a small sense of regularity in her relationship, despite the limitations she and Momo imposed on themselves.

She looks at Momo as a bright smile is beamed at her (likely proud that no additional effort was needed to persuade her further). Her body slackens against the doorframe, exposing more of herself, and that’s when Mina’s mirrored smile falters as her eyes dart to the paper in the other girl’s hand.

She doesn’t question what’s neatly written on the surface of the sheet, Momo’s appearance coupled with her suggestions were enough for her to piece together where they were.

In hindsight she should’ve been more aware, the mounted cameras pointed at them, the lack of noise outside their room — they were clear indications of their side job, and her illusion of privacy crumbles into a public affair of a real couple, unbeknownst to everyone but them, pretending to be a fake couple that’s simulating a marriage solely for the enjoyment of those who watch their show.

 __________

 

 

“It looks... off. I think it’s missing something,” Momo mutters beside Mina; her head tilted in a fruitless attempt to conjure an idea of what the lump of snow in front of her needed. 

“It has a face—“ Mina responds, noting the rocks placed accordingly to form eyes and a thin yet wide smile.

“It doesn’t have a nose though,” the older one interjects with a slight frown.

“There aren’t exactly any carrots laying around,” Mina laughs at the incredulous notion that they would have prepared for something this spontaneous. “And we already used the twigs you picked up as its arms.”

“But it still looks unfinished,” Momo juts her bottom lip out, pouting childishly at the other. 

She’s used to this side of Momo, Mina tells herself, but on second thought, when she considers the sudden somersault of her gut and rapid beating in her chest, maybe she wasn’t.

It still takes her by surprise how much she’s affected by every little thing Momo does, and how those little things seem to have magnified and multiplied on an unimaginable scale since they started dating. She wonders if it’s done on purpose or if it’s somehow embedded deep within Momo’s nature that she unwittingly demonstrates them without knowing how much potential she has to give Mina an unintended heart attack.

She moves her gaze away from Momo’s face, opting instead to look at the newly finished scarf she gifted her from earlier that day. 

The long red piece of fabric worn unevenly was threateningly close to falling, and her instinct to fix even the smallest of details takes hold as she reaches over, her hands grasping both ends as she pulls Momo gently towards her.

Her innocent movement to adjust the scarf around Momo’s neck quickly turns into a thinly veiled attempt to leave her speechless.

She scolds herself for failing to quell an impulse to garner any sort of reaction from Momo; behind closed doors, there was no need for inhibitions, but surrounded by a crew of people with cameras capturing their every move, she felt self-conscious yet oddly exhilarated. 

“M-Mina, I— uhh,” Momo fidgets in front of her, spouting flustered stutters that mingle with an errant blush redder than her scarf. 

“O-Oh! It’s m-missing a scarf!” Momo exclaims nervously.

She briefly glances at a cameraman, trying to decipher his expressions as meaning something other than an apparent desire to return to the warm area where the crew was previously stationed.

In one swift motion, she removes her scarf and places it around the sculpture; with its look completed, and a satisfied smile drawn out from Momo as well a tinge of pink dusted on Mina’s cheeks, the duo finally takes the time to admire their handiwork before taking commemorative pictures alongside their cold companion. 

In what her brain can aptly describe in the simplest of terms as absurdly convoluted, Mina has no longer tried to make any sense of the mess she’s in and has instead resigned herself to whatever circumstances arise from pretending.

It’s not as bad as she presumably thought it would be.

There were downsides to it with as much certainty as there were ups, but when they ignored how painstakingly tedious their efforts were to keep their relationship unknown, it all seemed worth it to stay hidden in plain sight.

__________ 

 

 

Momo would like to think that she’s one of the cleaner members in the group. Jeongyeon would disagree and classify her as bordering the fine line of a lesser scale of Nayeon and Sana’s untidiness and ‘cleans-only-when-scolded’, but what her former roommate couldn’t fault her for was her increase in need the to do laundry — an almost manic obsession to do so if she may add.

It started with an innocent question from Chaeyoung.

“Hey, Momo unnie, why don’t they ever include footage of other parts of the house?” The now blonde member asks in the middle of a scene from the previous week’s taping where a barely visible Mina worked plainly in the laundry room to remove a stain clumsily applied to her clothing. 

“Maybe they just figured doing laundry wouldn’t be the most exciting thing to film,” she shrugs in return.

Chaeyoung nods in understanding. “I guess that makes sense.”

“As far as I know I didn’t see any cameras in the laundry room,” Dahyun pipes up from beside the main dancer.

Momo watches her onscreen self walk towards her partner, noting no changes in the camera cuts and confirming her assumption as well as Dahyun’s astute observation.

“Really?” She hears a puzzled Chaeyoung say, watching her twist her body to look at her older roommate with an arched brow.

Dahyun hums positively. “I took a look around the house when we were there; most of the cameras were in the living room and kitchen with a couple ones placed outside and upstairs in the bedrooms.”

She leans forward to grab a slice of pizza. “I didn’t see any when I checked the laundry room,” she mumbles through a mouthful of her food.

“Leave it to Dahyun to find all the cameras,” Jihyo jokes from beyond her position on the couch, earning a small round of laughter and a few side comments from the members.

“You could _totally_ hang out in the laundry room if you ever needed privacy.” Nayeon quietly remarks — not so silently if she had hoped to keep it to herself because Momo hears it like an echo in her ears, and in a matter of seconds the dancer was already devising ways to ruin perfectly clean clothes, or at least convince her other members to let her do their laundry in hopes of getting some alone time with Mina.

She giggles to herself. Alone time with Mina — that’s what really fuels her one-woman scheme to unintentionally become Jeongyeon’s honorary successor to keep all things clean and organized.

She puts her plan into motion the following week.

“We’re going to end up spending our _entire_ weekend doing laundry,” Mina comments with her mouth agape as she watched Momo unload another bag of dirty clothes from their company van.

“We’re exploring our domestic side as a couple,” Momo grunts, hauling the heavy bag behind her and trudging through the interior of their home. She unceremoniously dumps the bag on the laundry room floor where it lands with a soft thud on a mound of five similarly hefty bags she had arranged to be brought with them on their weekend stay at their _We Got Married_ house.

Mina follows after, mildly confused by the excesses amount of clothes. “Why are we doing the other members’ laundry then?”

Momo purses her lips, “Hmm.”

“Let’s just call it an act of charity,” she perfunctorily throws back as a careless reason while she thoroughly scanned the inside of the small room for any cameras, recalling Dahyun’s words and a particular conversation she had once she and Mina arrived at their filming location.

(“Are you _certain_ you don’t need cameramen with you?”

A show writer inquires, motioning at the heaps of clothes in the car. “You’ll probably spend awhile doing all of these.”

Momo offers a shake of her head and declines with a knowing smile.

There’s a resigned sigh between them as the writer relents.

“Keep in mind that some areas of the house lack the proper equipment for filming, so please don’t spend _too_ much time idling where we can’t see you.”)

Not one in sight.

She smiles triumphantly.

Mina doubts her willingness to do more laundry than she normally does is anything but altruistic, but she doesn’t question her further, deciding instead to go ahead and comply with Momo’s burst of suddenness by helping her sort out different colored piles of clothing to be washed.

Almost an hour of questioning their members’ fashion sense (“I’ve literally never seen _anyone_ wear this,” Momo dangles what she assumes is a shirt, or what she insists is a cross between a shredded potato sack and a sequin sweater on her finger before throwing it aside to join a mound of other clothes), a surprise appearance from Tzuyu’s stuffed animal (“Which pile should I throw Minjoong in?” Mina hugs the soft object tightly, looking around and considering which stack was appropriate for the dog), and some vexation over weirdly colored splotches (“This stain will never come off!” Momo groans aloud, examining the bright red mark on a pair of jeans, “Oh, wait a minute… I think it’s part of the design”), they finally begin the arduous process of cleaning.

It doesn’t take more than a few seconds after Mina shuts the washing machine’s clear door when she releases a small yelp of surprise after a body presses itself firmly against her back; arms slink tightly around her waist just as a hot breath passes by her ear and soft lips meet her cheek. 

There was nothing discreet about it.

Momo was too close to her and the hug felt too intimate to be done freely in a space where others could watch and hear _and_ _believe_ there’s something deeper and more meaningful in their words and actions than they cared to let on.

The sounds of humming machinery and sloshing water fill the otherwise soundless space they were standing in. She turns around in Momo’s arms, ready to stop the display of affection but is stopped instead by a sudden and heartfelt kiss.

Somewhere past her desire to return it with the same amount of force and conviction was her consciousness pulling her roughly back down, and waking the mortification lingering in the shallow depths of her mind. She leaps backwards with a look of dread, her mouth too dry and incapable of verbalizing any objection to what had just transpired; only a name finds its escape — too raspy and aghast to sound pleasant in anyone’s ears.

_“M-Momo!_ ” Mina hisses at her, staring wide-eyed from immense shock.

“Mitang, it’s alright.” Momo whispers hurriedly and wills her to be calm and steady, gathering her shaking body back in her hold to hug her. 

“We can’t—“ she objects with a frown, producing an effort to stop the older one so as to keep up their unspoken ruse.

(She really wants to kiss her though.)

“There’s nothing to worry about.” Momo assures her, tucking loose strands of Mina’s hair behind her ear. “There are no cameras here. I checked.”

Mina’s eyes flit across the room, searching with an uneasiness that ripples from her stomach and spreads anxiously throughout her whole system. It subsides slowly just as the erratic beating of her heart paces itself when she deems it true that they were indeed out of sight. 

“But we—“

“We’ll be okay.” Momo gives her a reassuring squeeze and pulls back to cup her face. “Nothing’s gonna happen, I promise.” She delivers it with so much honesty that it fends off the last remaining bits of her worries; she sinks herself in her words and her mind drifts off with the same belief. 

She musters an ‘okay’ that’s gravelly but hopes it reaches Momo with sufficient comfort that it soothes her unseen turmoil. 

Mina knows her; Momo is just as nervous as she is but that’s okay. They were okay, and if they weren’t then they were going to be. She takes one more look around them and swallows the lump forming in her throat. 

With as much bravery as she can muster, she encroaches on the minimal space left between them, closing the gap with a timid peck on Momo’s lips before parting and joining her once again in another kiss and another after that, each one getting progressively bolder and full of want for the other.

Momo, in turn, and in an attempt to keep herself upright before her weak knees give out on her, backs her up against the cold outer steel of the washing machine; the force knocks down a bottle of detergent propped on top of the frame, dropping with a loud thump and spilling its contents onto the floor, but no care is given to clean up the mess, only a desperate need to continue before something finds a way to pull them apart.

In this particular situation, ‘something’ comes in the form of Mina’s cellphone, chiming loudly to call their attention away from each other. It remains ignored for the first five messages that she receives until she resentfully concedes to the sixth alert tone and decides that it would be impolite of her to let it ring endlessly without warranting a look.

The device’s owner cuts their momentary interval of kissing; she pushes an out of breath Momo (slightly indignant by Mina’s need to uphold her manners and professionalism over her) with a light shove to her shoulder, and retrieves her blaring phone from her back pocket. 

Similar messages within the lines of “We’re not picking up any audio or visual of you two,” and “Is everything alright in there?” as well as, “We’re sending the crew to check up on you,” occupy her screen.

Mina breathes a sigh of relief, thankful that they haven’t been caught, “they’re on their way,” she relays to Momo who nods and scoops her into her arms to give her a hug that leaves her almost breathless.

Momo loosens her grip seconds later, hands finding a spot to rest on Mina’s back before leaning away from her. “Hi,” she says, grinning goofily at the younger girl.

“Hi,” Mina replies with the same amusement, now realizing Momo had somehow fiddled with her mic pack during their make-out session and had just fixed it before the staff members arrived.

“That was—” Momo begins to say; she wonders what word would be appropriate to use without sounding crude, luckily, Mina saves her from sounding like a teenage boy by agreeing along regardless of her unfinished description.

“Yeah...” the other one trails off with a shy blush. They’ve kissed countless times, Mina is sure of that, but for reasons she didn’t quite seem to understand yet (perhaps it was the lack of time between them that incites them to act this way), they’ve had an increase of abrupt moments of unconstrained yearning that seemed to intensify with each session.

She has no proper explanation — no excuse other than the fact that she never considered doing these things before, but Momo drives her senselessly crazy to the point where normalcy and control take the back seat and she succumbs instead to spontaneity and the best kind of spiraling that leaves her feeling high from happiness.

The _We Got Married_ production team isn’t exactly pleased when they review all their footage from that weekend and find that the only exciting, albeit barely usable because Momo and Mina can hardly be seen, content to air is the duo’s mishap of turning an entire load of what was once the group’s white and proper fitting clothes into a collection of pink clothing for children. 

With the intention of repeating their laundry room secret, the following weekend (after some generous scolding and a tinge of trust lost from their group mates) Momo and Mina stumble into their house’s laundry room with far less clothes to wash than before and find four new cameras dotting the walls and pointing at different angles.

Needless to say they, both agree not to do their laundry there again.

__________ 

 

Momo finally and unknowingly aligns herself with Mina when she admits wholeheartedly and with no doubt (because there were times she’d argue with herself about the validity of her feelings and how true they were when she considered how it could very well be their show’s concept manipulating her to feel a certain way) that she’s in love with her.

They’re divided today with the three oldest members promoting the group’s newest single on a late night radio show. 

They follow the standard routine; the pacing is mellow and quieter than what Momo expects it to be because they aren’t complete, but it’s a nice change even if it does feel unusual.

Their host welcomes them back after an advertisement break; his cheery voice filling the space of a fading jingle from a cafe ad. His tone sounds too lively to be used at night, but his smile is infectious and she declares that as a listener she would be appreciative of the energy he was transmitting through the radio.

She sits upright, her fingers twitching with anticipation; they’re on the last segment of the show and she’s been raring to go home since they stepped into the booth.

Her enthusiasm falters though when the sudden change in topic sidelines her into a mess of nerves.

“I want to shift our conversation a bit and talk about a hot topic that consistently trends with every new episode,” Momo whips her head curiously to look at their host, his attention already fixed on her unsuspecting form.

“Momo, how’s the married life been for you and Mina?”

His inquiry comes off so naturally that she thinks it’s an actual organic interest in her public (or maybe private) life than years of experience soliciting answers from guests that came before her.

The question startles her; she blinks blankly at him, protracting a hum that turns into a reserved stutter when Nayeon elbows her to answer.

“G-Great! Umm... Mina and I are doing fine. We’re really thankful for all the support,” she manages to say with profound genuineness despite how constricted her throat feels.

“That’s good to hear!” He booms into his mic with a hearty laugh. “I’m such a huge fan of the show, and I must say it’s very interesting watching you two.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely! A relationship between two members of the same group — it’s unheard of.”

Tell me about it, Momo quietly agrees.

“But you girls make it work, and it’s so refreshing seeing something that’s already been established through friendship and watching it morph into this romance that seems straight out of someone’s imagination.”

He presses her further. “You must’ve had some doubts about this; I’m sure Mina probably felt uneasy about it, too.”

“It took some getting used to,” she clears her throat, “but it’s a great experience and I’m glad I get to do it with Mina.”

Momo treads the topic carefully, not that they were prohibited from talking about the show, but she’d rather limit her answers than confess something she wouldn’t be able to take back. It’s a difficult task though because a certain girl invades her head and it spins uncontrollably in a blur of Mina. How could she not talk about her when she’s all she could think of...

Mina.

Mina!

There were pockets in her life where it’s just... _Mina_ , and in the quiet parts of her unoccupied spaces where she’s lost in herself, there were always paths that would undeniably lead her back to her.

Is it too soon to say?

Dare she say it?

Should she?

She feels the familiar weight of words that have been hanging heavily on loose hinges, waiting for one final and decisive moment where they can finally break free and fall from her mouth in a liberating confession of what her deepest feelings are for Mina: she’s in love with her.

It takes so much to withhold herself from saying it. The wide smile on her face is even harder to conceal, and Jeongyeon gives her a passing expression of mixed confusion and worry because she shouldn’t be this happy at a time like this.

“This must be weird for your other members.” He cocks his head to the side, “Has anything changed within the group?”

“Not really. Momo and Mina were close to begin with so not much has changed.” Her former roommate answers with a concise breath.

“I think Mina influenced Momo to be more of a homebody.”  Nayeon snorts from beside her.

“Ahh, that’s right! It’s gotten even harder to convince them to leave the house now that they’re closer than ever,” Jeongyeon nods in agreement, throwing Momo a pointed look of exasperation from across the table. 

“When was the last time you and I hung out?”

“Jihyo has been trying to get Mina to go shopping with her but all she wants to do is sleep and play video games with you.”

“You’re not even a good gamer!”

“You two seriously need to go out more.”

Her inability to leave Mina’s side comes to light, much to her chagrin, and she bows her head apologetically as she receives howls of light reprimands from her group mates.

“Well, it’s like that sometimes, isn’t it?” Their host adds with a warm smile before starting his closing remarks. 

“I think I’ve kept you here long enough.” He reviews his notes and glances at the time on his monitor. “Nayeon can you say a few words to our listeners before you leave?”

Momo tunes out the older girl’s voice and steeps herself in the jarring revelation that she’s never felt this way before. She’s never been in love until now, and she considers herself callow with no idea how to go about her deeper feelings for Mina without kissing the life out of her every time she’s nearby. 

She takes a much-needed breath of air; the audible intake disrupts Nayeon’s flow for a second and she side-eyes her with arched brows, silently questioning if Momo has anything to say. A quick dismissive wave of her hand and the other is back to talking, the soft cadence of Nayeon’s voice fades to nothingness once she sinks herself back into her thoughts.

She returns to corral her emotions into the safest places of her heart — the once empty spaces are her softest spots, her most sensitive, her most guarded.

That’s where she keeps them. 

That’s where Mina resides. 

It overwhelms with indescribable happiness that can only be reflected with the brightest smile her face can allow.

So this is it.

This is love.

____________

The beginning of spring coincides with the end of a long four-day commercial shoot in Japan for their group’s yearly Lotte Duty Free campaign and a new sponsorship deal for a line of non-carbonated drinks.

It’s late in the evening when they finally wrap up the shoot, a quarter past 9:00 p.m. when they finish dinner, and eight minutes shy of 11:30 p.m. when they all settle into their rooms to sleep for the remaining hours of the night, at least, that was their intended plan until Nayeon, Sana, and Chaeyoung sent messages to their group chat twelve minutes after midnight, convincing everyone to gather in Sana and Jihyo’s room for a round or two of drinks.

“Two really should have been the limit,” Tzuyu grudgingly groans at the party (Mina believes they shouldn’t have drunk at all because of their morning flight), but willingly accepts the glass of clear liquid handed to her anyway.

“We don’t get to do this often so it’s fine!” Chaeyoung smacks her friend’s back, her words barely holding their form as she slurs them uncomfortably close to the taller girl’s ear.

“Chaeng’s right,” Nayeon, another victim of the alcohol, assents from the floor with a loud cheer. “Let’s live a little, I think we deserve it!”

Jihyo pats the youngest girl’s head reassuringly as she passes by, plopping a seat across from her and tossing a bag of chips in Jeongyeon’s direction, “Don’t worry, Tzuyu, I’ll make sure they don’t drink themselves to an early death.”

“Speaking of things we don’t do often, you know what we haven’t done in a while?” Dahyun rises from one of the beds in the room, eliciting inquisitive glances from half the occupants there and a ‘what?’ from Momo.

“We haven’t played Mafia since last year!”

“Unnie, ‘last year’ was only a few months ago,” Tzuyu amends from her place.

“Yeah, well, you get what I mean,” the pale girl sinks to the floor with excitement in her voice. “It’s been so long since we’ve played it.”

“We can’t have a party without party games,” Mina quietly shrugs in agreement.

“That’s the spirit, unnie!”

“But it’s kind of predictable though,” Momo grimaces at her drink; the shot of alcohol running down her throat leaves an unappealing taste. “Jeongyeon never plays and I always get killed off in the first round.”

“No offense, Momo, but it’s because you’re an easy target.” Jeongyeon chokes back a laugh at her glare.

“I end up dead whether I’m part of the mafia or not,” she pouts at Mina to which she receives a small smile and a squeeze of her hand.

“If that’s what you’re worried about, Momoring, how about a game of truth or dare instead?” Sana suggests. “Jeongyeon gets to play, and we can _all_ die of embarrassment one way or another.”

A chorus of enthusiastic and semi-apprehensive agreements, mainly from Mina and Tzuyu, erupt shortly after and they finally start playing once everyone’s seated comfortably on the floor. It’s not long until their carousing devolves the game into ‘dare or dare’ as per Nayeon’s drunken statement of ‘I’ve known you guys for years. You really believe there’s nothing about you I don’t know?’ and her astounding attempt to divulge deep secrets of each of the members until they relented to her demand to ‘spice up the game.’

“Sana,” Nayeon points a limp finger at her and follows it up with a sloppy, “dare or dare?” 

The girl in question purses her lips, humming a pensive tune in mock concentration. “The first one,” she replies with a giggle.

“Hmm... I dare you to... to uhh… _I dare you to_ ,” she looks around the room at the expecting faces, contemplating the appropriate challenge to put forth, “ _kiss Momo_!”

The sound of Mina’s bottle hitting the carpeted floor is muffled by the snickers from the rest of the girls and the unified sound of disbelief produced by Sana and Momo.

“Ehhh?!!”

“There’s no way I’m kissing Sana.” Momo indignantly protests, switching the repulsed look she unsparingly gave Nayeon and Sana into an agitated glance at Mina.

“I take it back; I pick the second option.” Sana hurriedly tries to revise her choice with Momo’s whines of disgust emphasizing her disapproval as well.

“Ugh, I can’t think straight right now.” Nayeon grumbles from across the room, “I’m too drunk to come up with something else for you to do.”

“Besides, what’s a kiss between two friends? And you’ll have to do the penalty dare if you don’t do it,” she ends in a singsong lilt.

If Mina wasn’t so meek, she would have countered it vehemently, and volunteer instead to relieve Sana of her dare and complete it for her, but she’s a tongue-tied prisoner of her reticence and there was no escape, no key for her to unlock the cell of her innermost struggle, only a window looking out as one of her closest friends reluctantly gives in to all the goading thrown her way. 

“Looks like Sana isn’t as daring as we thought,” Jihyo teases the flustered Osaka native.

Dahyun and Jeongyeon join the chatter, “Jeongyeon unnie, should we make a bet if Sana unnie will do it or not?”

“I’m hoping she won’t do it,” Jeongyeon states with an excited grin.

“You’ve done it before, Momo unnie,” Chaeyoung says, her mind taking her back to Momo’s candid comment that she and Sana have indeed kissed before. “It won't be any different than your previous kisses with Sana unnie,” she tries to appease the one most hesitant to take part in it.

Succinctly, Tzuyu adds, “You can make it a quick one,” next to her, supporting the blonde member leaning on her side.

“That was _before_ , Chaeng.” Shifting uncomfortably in her seat, Momo waves off the younger one’s assertion. “And it’s completely different now!” How different? Momo doesn’t bother to explain but hopes the subject is dropped and Sana chickens out of the game.

Mina vividly recalls Momo’s confession of her and Sana’s more affectionate moments on one of the variety shows they guested on during their _What is Love?_ promotional days. Surprisingly, the admission doesn't sting her like she thought it would, perhaps it was because of how lighthearted it was and she’d witnessed how close her friends were prior to her and Momo’s relationship. She’s never harbored any ill feelings towards Sana for her close friendship with Momo, and she holds on to the knowledge that she has never liked Momo as anything more than a friend. 

Perhaps that’s what gives her reassurance that this will mean nothing to them and it shouldn’t mean anything to her, too.

Sana finally caves, her voice shrill with defeat. “Alright! Fine, I’ll do it!”

Mina remains frozen in her spot, unable to move or oppose the forthcoming kiss, but wraps herself in her belief and hopes it’s enough to cushion the impending blow.

She watches it unfold, tense but shaking with disappointment that she’s too much of coward to disclose the truth between her and Momo, too proper to admit how selfish she is when it comes to her, too presumptuous to think that this won’t hurt her in any way when she knows that she’s not as strong as she thinks she is.

“Sorry, Momoring, but the penalty’s worse than this.”

“What?! Hold on, I didn’t even agree to this!” She wishes she had stayed in her room.

“You better stay where you are!” She hates herself for not being able to stop this.

“Wait! Don’t come any closer!” She steadies herself, bracing for it.

“Sana, I swear if you—hmfp!” She shuts her eyes at the contact; it lessens the impact to her heart, but she still feels a prickle of jealousy festering in her chest at the thought of what’s transpiring beyond her obstructed vision.

The seconds that pass is a fleeting eternity, one that counts time by how many beats her heart thumps; it’s too many to count, it’s too long for her to say. It’s all she hears in that moment— a resentful echo that stretches into her consciousness, striking a jealous chord that it should be her kissing Momo, that this moment should be theirs.

Cheers reach out to her, pulling her out of her instance of endlessness to welcome her back to the sound of retching.

She sets her eyes on the duo and takes a deep breath. The thrums of selfishness still linger but watching Momo’s face contort in disgust (Sana looks just as displeased) relieves her in some way.

She takes a swig of her drink.

The burn it used to give her feels more tolerable now.

 __________

 

A deep sigh spreads thinly in the silent room as Momo resigns herself from standing to lay back on the bed she and Mina had disregarded mere hours ago.

“Ahh, finally,” the main dancer mumbles into her pillow, burying her face deep in its softness, “thank god it’s over.”

Mina joins her on the bed, sluggish and just as relieved by the end of their festivities. There’s a convincing notion that she’s always come very close to confirming and that’s the idea that any party they throw with alcohol involved would likely carry over to the next day if they were left unchecked. Frankly, she’s glad that she’s never had to verify it, and she’s grateful for how rowdy they can be when they’re intoxicated, because if it weren’t for the call made to the front desk by an incensed guest in one of the neighboring rooms, they would’ve still been downing liquor as if they didn’t have a plane to catch in a matter of hours.

“Tired?” The younger one asks; she directs her question at the ceiling where it bounces back down to Momo who nods quietly.

“Regretful, mostly. I’m starting to realize that maybe I shouldn’t have joined in on the last three rounds of shots,” the muffled voice groans miserably.

“Just be thankful Chaeyoung didn’t make you drink her Strawberry Bomb, or whatever it was she called it.”

Momo shudders at the odd mixture the blonde concocted. “I genuinely think we need to bring Tzuyu and Jihyo to the nearest hospital. That much alcohol content in one drink can’t be good for them.”

“Tzuyu, yes.” Mina giggles, remembering the horrified reaction of their youngest member after taking one sip of the drink. “Jihyo, on the other hand, drank it like it was water. I’m taking that as a sign she’ll survive.”

“You’re right. I highly doubt she’ll feel anything tomorrow; that woman’s tolerance isn’t of this world.”

“They don’t call her ‘god’ for nothing.”

They share a quick laugh before it subsides back into silence. Mina’s certain Momo has finally succumbed to her fatigued in the minutes of stillness that pass, and she would’ve followed her quickly into slumber, too, until she hears the almost inaudible apology and suddenly her eyelids spring open, wondering if the seemingly far-off words were real or a figment of her sleep-deprived imagination.

The rustle of sheets and movements next to her tells her it’s the former and it’s only further established by a clearer repetition.

“I’m sorry.”

Perplexed that she had anything to even apologize for, Mina faces Momo with knitted brows. “For what?”

“Earlier, with Sana and the game. I should’ve done more to stop it. I should’ve been more firm, or maybe leaving would’ve been better. I should’ve done _something._ I’m sorry, Mitang.”

“Momo, I—“ there’s a dull ache within her building just as rapidly as the realization eating away at her conscience that it should be her apologizing and not the other way around, “ _I’m_ sorry. You did more than me in that moment; I just sat there and let it happen.”

“I’m not upset at you if that’s what you think, but I am mad at myself for not being bold enough with my feelings.”

“Mina—“ Momo interjects.

“No, you have no idea how forward I wanna be sometimes.” Mina feels her face heat up from the confession, the smile reserved only for Momo lights her face as her heart begins the rhythmic beats she’s grown accustomed to.

Momo chuckles, light and understanding, “I think I know what you mean. I catch myself feeling a certain...” she pauses to think, her teeth graze her bottom lip in thought, “…way when it comes to you, and it takes so much to hold myself back.”

“That’s exactly it. I hold myself back _too_ much and it bothers me, Momo,” Mina whispers softly, “all the ‘what if’s’ that run through my mind when I think about all the moments I let slip away.” 

“And seeing you kiss Sana… being here with you in this hotel room in Japan, thinking of my regrets, it takes me back to one of the biggest ‘what if’s’ that’s always in the back of my mind… What if I didn’t hold myself back? What if I had kissed you on our last trip here together?”

“You still think about that?”

Mina nods because there’s not a day that goes by where her mind doesn’t scatter and converge back to that memory.

Would she be different now if she had done things differently?

“I think about that, too, and for the record, I don’t want you to hold back when it comes to me...” Momo searches her face, contemplating the next chain of words carefully, “I wish you hadn’t, back then I mean, because I think I would’ve liked it if you had kissed me.”

It amazes her how the shape of her words and it’s potency, warm and inviting, can whisk her away, bringing her to the deepest reaches of her mind where the cusp of thoughts turn into her desires.

“…I think I’d like it if you kissed me now.”

She follows the call that beckons her to tread past her ‘what if’s’ until she’s suddenly standing on the precipice of her life, overlooking the great expanse of fulfillment that comes with Momo. Joy, sorrow, love, hate— it’s all there, laid out before her and she wants it— needs it so much that when she brings herself back and looks at the only other figure on the bed, her softest smile accentuated by the pink glow on her cheeks, (a shy blush or alcohol induced, she doesn’t know at this point) her heart drops and lands in the pits of her stomach because she admits that she’s not deserving of this, of her. But it dissipates and turns into a thin strand of hope that Momo feels the same feelings of want as her when she whispers her name and nothing else with as much need that mirrors her own, her eyes boring into hers, the touch of her fingers on her cheek, brushing hair away so gently it feels like it never happened, _and it’s there_ — the dominant thought splayed across her mind, she doesn’t want to miss out on these moments with Momo; she doesn’t want to think of things that could’ve gone differently.

“Kiss me, Mina. I want you to…”

She doesn’t want to miss out on this 3:14 a.m. Momo whose face catches the streams of light leaking in through the spaces of the closed curtains, her hair mussed from laying down, and a nightshirt two sizes bigger than her usual clothes that it dwarfs her.

“It’s all I ever want— for you to kiss me.”

So what if she gives in and lets herself have this moment…

“…Momo…”

She leans forward, meeting Momo in a kiss that’s timid but willful, sparking the yearning flame in her that never seems to die. It’s a gradual thing how she melts into her, and she owes it to each fervent kiss, deepened by wayward touches her body longingly chases after, until she has to stop and part to regain her breath, but she dives back in just as quickly as she resurfaces because kissing Momo makes her feel like her lungs are full despite her being the reason why she’s breathless, and she’s never been in a quandary like this, but all she knows is that she’s somehow on top of her now, and Momo’s hands have found their way under her shirt and on her waist, drawing taunting patterns and — god, her head is spinning and she’s certain it’s not from the alcohol they drank earlier.

“M-Momo... wait, what... w-what if—“ she finds it so difficult to string coherent words together when Momo’s nipping her neck in just the right way.

“...What if...” Momo repeats and presses into the skin of her neck where it travels up to her brain and burns this searing thought that she knows, Momo _knows_ where this is going to go, where they _both_ want it to go, but it’s up to her take up the reins and steer it because Momo also knows how flighty she can be. She wants this though and... and...

And if ever there were a time when drinking seemed like a good idea, it would be now because her nerves were getting the better of her, but she pushes past her anxiousness, and guides a trembling hand to the hem of Momo’s shorts where she traces a path to its drawstrings and fiddles with the tied loops while the girl beneath her shifts and discards her shirt, locking her lips back on Mina with a giggle as she helps her remove the offending article.

She takes in the sight.

Mina compels herself to stop and take a moment to engrave the expanse of Momo’s body into her mind, memorizing every dip and curve, how her chest rises and falls to her ragged breathing, the way it arches from her touch. She notes how flushed she is, and the light sheen of sweat forming on her forehead. She sees how her muscles move, taut and tense under her when a hand ventures southward, brushing past Momo’s left hand where she catches a glimpse of their matching rings, wrapped tightly around her finger. It’s amazing how much confidence it gives her to continue when she sees her in this state of undress, separate from dressing rooms and rushed showers.

And then she takes in the sounds.

Tokyo’s nightlife is an auditory wallpaper interspersed with a guttural groan which mellows into a muffled moan when Mina’s fingers slide inside her. It’s almost sinful how Momo’s feverish pants control her to move accordingly as her heart paces itself to beat in rhythm to her wanton breathing, and when she stamps a heated kiss to the corner of her lips and Momo utters a strangled ‘please’, she swears her aching cry for more carries her senses to a new kind of sensation— it’s her newfound addiction and she craves it insatiably, so much that she tries to distract herself from all the points in which her moans enticed her, but she gives in to hear those sounds again and goes a little slower and faster, harder and deeper until Momo squirms a little too unpredictably as her fingers curl, brushing a spot that sends her arching into her, nails digging into her back and a shaky gasp that Mina swallows as Momo unraveled the furled tension of her body against hers.

She lets Momo ride the waves of her pleasure, easing her back down and laying a warm kiss on her cheek before joining her on the bed. 

And finally she takes in the feeling.

Her lips twitch into a smile which blossoms into a laugh once Momo regains herself, turning on her side to share a sloppy kiss to Mina’s lips, joining her fit of happiness because _it_ happened. And her heart swells and thumps hard in her chest, knocking the apprehension that occupied it, and taking its place instead. Between the ghostly touch of Momo’s hands, leaving fiery goosebumps in their wake as they roamed freely along her body, there’s a questioning hum on her mouth as Momo forms a “What if...” that fades downward and she replies just as tenderly with a crooked grin.

“Yeah, what if...”

What if this is everything she’s ever wanted?

What if she never wants this to end?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always thank you for your patience and I appreciate all the support you've given this story. Updates may be slow but you all still find a way to wait for the next chapter without biting my head off. I didn't get to reply to the comments for the previous chapter but I want you all to know that I'm still very grateful you leave them and it makes me happy when I go back and read all the wonderful things you've written so please leave a comment, it'd really make my day! :)


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